Madina City

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ISBN: 978-603-8279-31-1 condition that the source is indicated.
1-City planning- Madinah ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I-Title
City Profiles Series Editors:
309.2625314 dc 1440/8324
Herman Pienaar
Salvatore Fundarò
L.D. no. 1440/8324
Costanza La Mantia
ISBN: 978-603-8279-31-1
Contributing Authors:
© 2019. Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and United
Anastasia Ignatova (urban planning & design)
Nations Human Settlements Programme
Luis Angel Del LIano Gilio (urban planning & design)
All rights reserved.
Costanza La Mantia (content editor)
Dennis Mwawati (regional planning)
Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs
Anne Klen-Amin (legal & governance)
P.O. Box : 935 - King Fahd, Riyadh, 11136
Samuel Njuguna (legal & governance)
Tel: 00966114569999
Dr. Mansour Helmi (legal & governance)
www.momra.gov.sa
Giuseppe Tesoriere (economy & finance)
Elizabeth Glass (economy & finance)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Carmelo Ignaccolo (GIS)
(UN-Habitat)
Mario Tavera (GIS)
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi GPO KENYA
Antara Tandon (GIS)
Tel: 254-020-7623120 (Central Office)
Solomon Karani (GIS)
www.unhabitat.org
Layout Design:
Hai Anh Nguyen
Cover Page:
UN-Habitat
The Future Saudi Cities Programme is a jointly implemented

project managed by the Deputyship of Town Planning of the
Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs of the Government
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations
Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
For UN-Habitat:
Mr. Robert Lewis-Lettington
Mr. Ayman El-Hefnawi
Ms. Manka Bajaj
MADINAH
‫املدینة املنورة‬
FUTURE SAUDI CITIES PROGRAMME

CITY PROFILE
The Green Dome of the Prophet’s Mosque
© Shutterstock
C ONTENTS
1Contents
1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 9
1.1 About the Future Saudi Cities Programme....................................................................................................................10
1.2 Saudi Initiatives for Sustainable Urban Development.....................................................................................................10
1.3 Objectives of the City Profile Report..............................................................................................................................10
1.3.1 Scope of the city profile..............................................................................................................................................10
1.3.2 Objectives of the city profile........................................................................................................................................10
1.4.2 The reviews.................................................................................................................................................................13
1.4.3 The City Prosperity Index assessment report.................................................................................................................13
1.4.4 The GIS spatial analysis................................................................................................................................................13
2 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SPATIAL CONTEXT............................................................... 15
2.1 The Region’s Role in the KSA........................................................................................................................................16
2.1.1 Historical background ................................................................................................................................................16
2.1.2 Geography and location..............................................................................................................................................16
2.1.3 Demographic background...........................................................................................................................................16
2.1.4 Socio-economic background.......................................................................................................................................18
2.1.5 National Connectivity..................................................................................................................................................18
2.2 Regional Development Patterns and Dynamics..............................................................................................................20
2.2.1 Regional organisation..................................................................................................................................................20
2.2.2 Regional Structure and Resources................................................................................................................................23
2.3 City-region Structure and Dynamics .............................................................................................................................28
3 GOVERNANCE AND FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK................................................................ 31
3.1 Legal and Institutional Context.....................................................................................................................................32
3.2 Planning Instruments and Procedures...........................................................................................................................34
3.2.1 Hierarchy of plans - Madinah......................................................................................................................................34
3.2.2 The Al Madinah Regional Plan ....................................................................................................................................34
3.2.3 The Madinah Plan.......................................................................................................................................................34
3.2.4 The Madinah Urban Growth and Development Protection Boundaries.........................................................................38
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C ONTENTS
3.2.5 White Lands Act..........................................................................................................................................................39
3.2.6 Land Subdivision Plans................................................................................................................................................42
3.3 The Institutional Context..............................................................................................................................................42
3.3.1 Urban institutions in KSA ...........................................................................................................................................42
3.3.2 Regional context ........................................................................................................................................................42
3.3.3 Local context – Madinah.............................................................................................................................................43
3.3.4 Legal and institutional implications for Madinah..........................................................................................................43
3.4 Financial Context..........................................................................................................................................................44
3.4.1 Financial system .........................................................................................................................................................44
3.4.2 Municipal revenue ......................................................................................................................................................44
3.4.3 Financing municipal operating costs............................................................................................................................45
3.4.4 Capital financing for municipal development...............................................................................................................45
3.4.5 Financial sustainability.................................................................................................................................................48
4 THE CURRENT CITY............................................................................................................ 51
4.1 Urbanisation Patterns...................................................................................................................................................52
4.1.1 The city’s development patterns..................................................................................................................................52
4.1.2 Administrative boundaries...........................................................................................................................................58
4.1.3 Urban density .............................................................................................................................................................60
4.2 Structuring Elements ...................................................................................................................................................62
4.2.1 Natural and topographic elements..............................................................................................................................62
4.2.2 The Prophet’s Mosque and the associated tourist dynamics.........................................................................................64
4.2.3 Major movement infrastructure...................................................................................................................................66
4.2.4 Existing and proposed land use patterns .....................................................................................................................68
4.2.5 Vacant land.................................................................................................................................................................70
4.2.6 Unplanned settlements ..............................................................................................................................................72
4.2.7 Accessibility to urban cores and facilities.....................................................................................................................74
4.3 Assessment of Future Plans..........................................................................................................................................78
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C ONTENTS
4.3.1 The Comprehensive Plan of Al Madinah Metropolitan Area.........................................................................................78
4.3.2 Public Transport Accessibility Analysis..........................................................................................................................80
4.3.3 Urban density scenario ...............................................................................................................................................82
4.4 Environmental and Climate Change Risk Implications....................................................................................................84
4.4.1 Encroachment on natural topography ........................................................................................................................84
4.4.2 Loss of agricultural land..............................................................................................................................................86
4.4.3 Loss of freshwater.......................................................................................................................................................88
5 STRATEGIC DIAGNOSIS..................................................................................................... 91
5.1 Identifying and Defining Main Strategic Issues..............................................................................................................92
5.1.1 Unbalanced growth and development patterns...........................................................................................................92
5.1.2 Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and residents dynamics.................................................................................................92
5.1.3 Endangered historic vernacular urban pattern.............................................................................................................93
5.1.4 Socio-ecological and economic imbalance...................................................................................................................93
5.2 Analysing Madinah Four Issues in Depth.......................................................................................................................94
5.2.1 Madinah’s unbalanced growth and development patterns..........................................................................................94
5.2.2 Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and residents dynamics in Madinah...............................................................................96
5.2.3 Madinah’s endangered historic and vernacular patterns..............................................................................................98
5.2.4 Socio-ecological and economic imbalance in Madinah...............................................................................................100
6 THE FUTURE CITY........................................................................................................... 103
6.1 Strategic Responses....................................................................................................................................................104
6.1.1 The Compact City......................................................................................................................................................104
6.1.2 The Integrated City....................................................................................................................................................104
6.1.3 The Historic City........................................................................................................................................................105
6.1.4 The Resilient City.......................................................................................................................................................105
6.2 Appropriate Models for Madinah Urban Development................................................................................................106
6.2.1 The Compact City: Consolidating development and densifying centres in Madinah....................................................106
6.2.2 The Integrated City: Bridging the Madinah and bringing residents and pilgrims together ..........................................108
6.2.3 The Historic City: Preserving and enhancing Madinah’s identity.............................................................................110
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C ONTENTS
6.2.4 The Resilient City: Rebalancing Madinah’s socio-ecological and economic systems.....................................................112
6.3 Vision for a Sustainable Madinah................................................................................................................................114
6.4 Strategic Impact of the Vision on Urban Patterns........................................................................................................116
7 ACTION PLAN.................................................................................................................. 129
7.1 From Strategy to Action.............................................................................................................................................130
7.1.1 Action 1: Implement public transport system to create backbone for development....................................................132
7.1.2 Action 2: Densify along public transport and develop new centralities.......................................................................134
7.1.3 Action 3: Protect, revitalise and integrate historic and vernacular areas .....................................................................136
7.1.4 Action 4: Preserve, enhance, and relink the blue and green networks .......................................................................138
7.2 Four Systemic Actions for Structural Change...............................................................................................................140
8 FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS: THE THREE-PRONGED APPROACH............................... 143
8.1 Spatial Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................144
8.1.1 A strategic view of the Al Madinah Region................................................................................................................144
8.1.2 Towards Madinah, Eco-historic Oasis.........................................................................................................................146
8.2 Institutional and Legal Recommendations...................................................................................................................146
8.3 Financial Recommendations.......................................................................................................................................148
8.3.1 Own-source revenue instruments .............................................................................................................................148
8.3.2 Leveraging urban productivity ..................................................................................................................................150
9 ANNEX............................................................................................................................. 155
9.1 Picture Credits............................................................................................................................................................156
9.2 List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................................158
9.3 Notes and References.................................................................................................................................................160
7
8
1
1 INTRODUCTION
© Shutterstock
IN TR ODUCTION
1.1 About the Future Saudi Cities Programme

The Future Saudi Cities Programme is a joint programme As such, all 17 cities have been simultaneously engaged in a
developed by the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs capacity-building strategy that included foundational learning,
(MoMRA) and UN-Habitat, implemented in close cooperation and ‘on the job’ training, culminating in Saudi-specific
with the municipalities of 17 major Saudi cities. The cities advanced training. This training was based on the planning-
have been selected based on their different population sizes, system conclusions and recommendations, that the FSCP
geographic distribution, and a range of criteria based on produced. Thus, the Urban Lab functions as a tool to generate
capacities and economic potential to create a more balanced evidence whilst additionally strengthening capacities through a
regional development among the cities of Saudi Arabia. The process of learning-by-doing.
chosen cities include Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Madinah,
Tabuk, Dammam, Qatif, Al-Ahsa, Abha, Najran, Jazan, Hael, 1.2 Saudi Initiatives for Sustainable Urban
Arar, Al Baha, Buraidah, and Skaka. Development
After undertaking city-level reviews in the 17 cities, five cities The Saudi Government, along with the respective Ministries,
were chosen as a representative cross-section, for in-depth and in line with a larger country-wide transformation process,
analysis. The city-level reviews considered the linkages between has made several efforts aimed at the sustainable development
urban and territorial planning by examining the city within the of its growing cities. These contributions vary from plans at
relational context of its sub-region and exploring specific issues the national level, like the National Spatial Strategy (NSS), to
at the neighbourhood level. These reviews, when referenced strategies and plans at the regional level, cutting across various
with City Prosperity Index (CPI) reports and validation processes sectors towards realising Vision 2030. The FSCP recognises
in the Rapid Planning Studio workshops, were used to these efforts as positive, supporting Vision 2030 goals to
extrapolate strong, evidence-based conclusions that relate to realise a sustainable urban environment for the Kingdom of
the planning system as a whole. Saudi Arabia. The FSCP acknowledges and builds upon the
current tools, plans, and strategies as part of a comprehensive
Applied research, with a strong focus on action-oriented assessment and suggests variations and improvements where
conclusions, was used to collect evidence to diagnose the appropriate.
strengths and weaknesses of the planning system and local
planning practices in each city. The methodology utilised 1.3 Objectives of the City Profile Report
design tests and demonstration projects as avenues to apply
and analyse potential solutions, before concluding on policy
recommendations.
1.3.1 Scope of the city profile
The city-profile combines MoMRA’s new strategy, with a

UN-Habitat’s three-pronged approach considers spatial
review of existing studies, plans, and strategic documents,
planning in relation to legal and institutional frameworks, in such as the review of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National
addition to financial mechanisms. In this way, success criteria Spatial Strategy (NSS) to identify and address the root causes
for the sustainable implementation of a spatial plan should of problematic conditions outlined in the preliminary findings.
include flexible but enforceable rules and regulations, in The report acknowledged low uptake of the NSS by regions,
addition to a financing strategy and projections. utilities and ministries, as a key weakness. The issue of
horizontal (sectors) and vertical (scales) integration is thus a
As a pragmatic explication of this approach, three local key challenge that the FSCP aims to address going forward.
demonstration projects, representing essential elements of
a strengthened and improved planning system, have been Policy recommendations for improving urban planning
developed. These were elaborated to include schematic frameworks and practice shall be structured through a multi-
designs and feasibility studies, that can later be transformed scalar lens, considering the city as a continuum in the urban
into implementation plans. Such implementation plans are fabric, that should grow from the neighbourhood to the wider
projected to be undertaken by MoMRA, in collaboration with city-region, whilst influenced by dynamics and regulations at
other partners in the Kingdom. the national and supranational levels. This ensures that policy
recommendations for these cities do not operate in isolation
In order to facilitate this process, a joint “FSCP Urban Lab” from the city’s envisioned role in the administrative region and
was created as a vehicle to strengthen endogenous capacities the national system of cities.
and to develop tailored tools, and instruments. The Lab,
composed of international expertise from the planning, legal 1.3.2 Objectives of the city profile
and economy branches of UN-Habitat Nairobi office, has been
working with Saudi-based staff in the UN-Habitat Riyadh office The City Profile Report brings together diagnostic urban
(selected by MoMRA), to enhance knowledge exchange and to analysis and aligns that analysis with the UN-Habitat
apply a learning-by-doing method to the programme. sustainable development framework and the Saudi Vision
10
© FSCP
Sayed Al Shuhada Mosque near the Uhud Mountain
11
IN TR ODUCTION
2030. It performs as a thinking tool that constitutes together for sustainable urban development. Not only does this provide
an assessment tool and guidance for the current and future a clear perspective on the main developmental issues, but it
planning of the city, whilst defining a clear strategy for also quantifies the projected effect of future development
sustainable development. proposals on the indicators applied in the analysis.
The definition of an ad-hoc strategy is rooted in an evidence- The programme recognises that the methodology, on
based approach to the issues, building upon both primary and which policy recommendations guiding improvements and
secondary data collection and analysis. The profile, as well as adjustments in the planning system are based, needs to be
the Program as a whole, uses the data collected by the City evidence-based. For this purpose, different methods were
Prosperity Initiative (CPI), to identify significant trends and integrated to first provide the necessary body of evidence on
challenges at the city level. This evidence is then combined which to build an understanding, and full assessment of issues
with reviews of existing planning documents, and cross- before making recommendations for the respective cities.
referenced with multi-scalar GIS spatial analysis, to define the
above-mentioned ad-hoc strategy. The elements constituting the evidence-based approach are
primarily constituted of the following:
1.4 City Profile Methodology
• Reviews of existing policy documents and plans;
1.4.1 Evidence-based input approach • CPI;
• GIS spatial analysis.
The evidence-based planning approach creates a deeper
understanding of the spatial dynamics of the urban area, All of these elements are utilised in a cross-scalar diagnostic
by combining and comparing urban datasets such as methodology that incorporates quantitative and qualitative
demographics, density, land use, natural features, and evidence. The method used to generate evidence-based policy
accessibility analysis. recommendations, which develops capacities and engages
stakeholders in all 17 cities, provides conclusions derived from
The evidence (data) is reflected in the form of indicators that both top-down and bottom-up approaches, cross-cutting all
can be compared with best practice standards and benchmarks scales of planning.
© Wiki
The Al-Baqi Cemetery is an important space within Madinah urban structure
12
I N T R O DUCTI O N
By analysing how the structures of spatial, socio-environmental

and economic issues interact at different scales of influence,
the diagnostic methodology moves from the national to the National
neighbourhood scale, tracking the interdependencies within
the city’s physical development patterns, and seeking to
Scale
decrypt the reasons behind them.
1.4.2 The reviews
Several reviews of existing policy documents and plans were

undertaken with the purpose of a) extracting information
useful to the understanding of the context, and the city itself,
and b) assessing their contents based on three criteria: content Al Madinah
relevance, process integration, and effectiveness. The reviews Region
focused on assessing the:
• National Spatial Strategy;

• Al Madinah Regional Plan;
• Comprehensive Plan of The Madinah Metropolitan Area;
• Madinah Local Plan.
1.4.3 The City Prosperity Index assessment

Madinah
report
City-region
The City Prosperity Index is made up of six dimensions that serve
to define targets and goals that can support the formulation
of evidence-based policies. These include the definition of
city-visions and long-term plans that are both ambitious and
measurable. The six dimensions are:
• Productivity;
• Infrastructure; Madinah
• Quality of life; Metropolitan Area
• Equity and inclusion;
• Environmental sustainability;
• Governance and legislation.
These dimensions have been assumed as guiding principles

in the spatial assessment of Madinah. There are ten detailed
spatial indicators at the FSCP city profile level that link into the
72 flexible indicators of the CPI assessment.
Madinah
1.4.4 The GIS spatial analysis City
The spatial reflection of the above indicators highlights detailed

patterns of development and the interactions and dynamics
associated with movement, densities, and land use within the
urban system. This process enables a dynamic understanding
of the physical expressions of weaknesses and strengths in the
urban system and the main issues to be addressed. The effect
of proposals for future development can also be assessed by
use of the same indicators.
Madinah
Neighbourhoods
CROSS SCALAR DIAGNOSTIC METHODOLOGY
13
14
2 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL
SPATIAL CONTEXT
2
© FSCP
N ATIONAL AND REGIONAL CONT E XT
2.1 The Region’s Role in the KSA
2.1.1 Historical background
Madinah is an ancient, holy city, with a history that goes back to Salaa to the Northwest, and Al-E’er to the North. Al-Madinah
the time of the Prophet Abraham and his descendants. Medinah Al-Munawwarah lies on a flat mountain plateau, at the junction
is the second holy city of Islam, after Makkah, the city custodian of the three valleys of Al-Aql, Al-Aqiq, and Al-Himdh, standing
of the Kaaba. Its importance as a religious site derives from the 620 metres above sea level, and covering an area of about 700
presence of the Masjid al Nabawi, the Mosque of the Prophet square kilometres. A hot, continental climate characterises the
Muhammad, which was built on the site of his home and where area. The temperature ranges between 36-46 degrees celsius
he was laid to rest. The first mosque of Islam is also located in during the summer and between 15-20 degrees celsius during
Medinah and is known as Masjid Al Quba, the Quba Mosque. winter, while the average temperature is 30C° in summer
and 15C° in winter. Rains mainly fall between November and
The City of Madinah was traditionally compact, centring around January, but overall, the area receives little rainfall, with an
the Prophet’s Mosque, and grew at a gradual pace throughout its average of 94mm.
history. However, during the past three decades, urban growth
has occurred at a more substantial rate. This is because the 2.1.3 Demographic background
overall nation’s development has been experiencing significant
urbanisation, translated in rapid increase in urban population in According to estimates from the Saudi Central Department of
the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.1 Statistics and Information, the total population in the Al Madinah
Region in 2014 was 2.01 million, representing 6.54% of the total
2.1.2 Geography and location population of the Kingdom, which was 30.8 million people in the
same year. The number of Saudi population in Madinah is estimated
Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah is the capital city of the Al to be 1.39 million, in addition to 616.000 non-Saudis. The Madinah
Madinah Region, located in The Eastern part of the Al Hijaz Governorate holds the largest portion of the population in the region,
area, in the Northwestern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, hitting 66.6%, followed by the Yanbu Governorate with 16.8%, Al
approximately 250 kilometres to the East of the Red Sea. A Ula with 3.6%, Badr with 3.5%, Al-Mahd with 3.5%, Al-Hanakya
number of mountains surround the city, Al-Hujaj to the West, with 3.3%, and finally Khaibar with 2.7%.
Percentage of the region

compare to the total KSA
population in 2014
6.54
93.46
Madinah Region population
Rest of KSA population
Population (2010)
Population / km2
Rate of Growth rate / year
Urbanisation
Fig. 1. Population distribution, growth rate and urban areas within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
16
N AT I O N A L A N D R E G I O N A L CO NTEXT
Economic Sector Contribution to

GDP in Al Madinah Region (2012)
3.7% 1.8%
18.5%
32.7%
4.1%
9.7%
0.8%
6.6% 10.4%
11.7%
Agriculture
Industry
Electricity, gas and water
Construction / building
Trade
Transport and storage
Financial and real estate
Social services
Government services
Mining
Regional GDP (2012)

GDP growth rate / year
Region GDP to KSA
Fig. 2. Regional Gross Domestic Product and economic sector contribution
Dammam: King Fahd

International Airport
(Passengers 9,567,000);
Jeddah: King Abdulaziz

Riyadh: King Khalid

Madinah: Prince
Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz
Buraidah: Prince Nayef

Bin Abdulaziz International Airport
(Capacity 550,000).
Dammam-Abqaiq-Riyadh
Al Qassim-Majma’a-Riyadh
Makkah-Jeddah-Madinah
Arabian Gulf Ports:

King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam
King Fahd Industrial Port, Jubail
Jubail Commercial Port
Ras Al Khair Port
Ras Tanura Port
Red Sea Ports:

Jeddah Islamic Port
King Fahd Industrial Port
Yanbu Commercial Port
Fig. 3. Transport connectivity between Saudi cities
17
2.1.4 Socio-economic background
The city of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah holds major historical, region, thanks to the fertile soil around Madinah. In 2011,
religious, and economic importance for its unique location and the total crop area amounted to 27,500 hectares, representing
presence of the Holy Prophet’s Mosque. The Prophet’s Mosque 3.5% of the total crop area in the Kingdom, which was
and his sacred tomb attract millions of pilgrims to the city 788,000 hectares in the same year.
every year, making Madinah a key city for the tourism industry
in the Kingdom. The Al Madinah Region has an industrial city, Gross Domestic Product
which feeds a relatively prosperous industrial economy. The The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Madinah Region was
number of factory workers in the Al Madinah Region recorded about 101 billion riyals in 2012, representing 3.7% of the GDP
at the end of 2013 was 32,500 in total, this represents 3.9% of the Kingdom, and 7.1% of the GDP of the Kingdom, without
of the total industrial workforce in the Kingdom, which was crude oil and gas. During the period 2009 to 2012, the average
828,000 workers in the same year.2 annual growth rate of the region’s GDP was 23.7%. The main
contributions came from the industrial sector, ranking first in
The Al Madinah Region has a good network of roads and terms of contribution to the overall GDP of the region with 35.7%
bridges connecting its major cities, as well as its industrial of the total. The trade sector follows with 11.7%, the construction
and commercial facilities, and also links the region to the and building sector at 10.4%, the financial and real estate services
neighbouring areas. Trade is one of the key sectors in Al- sector with 9.7%, transport and communications sector at 6.6%,
Madinah Al-Munawwarah because of the various vital social and personal services sector with 4.1%, and mining sector
economic and productive activities present in the city and with 3.7%.3
spreading throughout the region. Another key aspect
influencing the city’s economy is the large volume of consumer 2.1.5 National Connectivity
markets due to the large numbers of visitors to the Holy
Prophet Mosque. Air transport
Unlike most of the other regions, the Al Madinah Region hosts
The mining and quarrying sectors significantly contribute to two airports: an international airport, which is located in the city of
the exploitation of natural resources in the region and serve Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah; and a regional airport4 , the Prince
the needs of the construction and industrial sectors with raw Abdul Muhsin Bin Abdulaziz Airport (PMBAA), located in the
materials. The agricultural sector has major importance in the city of Yanbu. The PMBAA currently accommodates 19% of all
© FSCP
New development in the outskirt of the city
18
Female: Saudi 11,517, Foreign 3,893

Male: Saudi 14,027, Foreign 14,199
Other nationalities and gender:1,090
* Numbers include Saudi and non-Saudi pilgrims
Data gathered from 1/12/1438 H - 9/12/1438
Fig. 4. International pilgrimage flow map in 2017 (1438H)
Hejaz Region
Fig. 5. Madinah Region
19
international air traffic arriving into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2.2 Regional Development Patterns and
9% of all domestic passenger traffic, and 11% of all domestic
Dynamics
cargo traffic across the country. The total number of passengers
using the airports in the Al Madinah Region was 2.46 and 2.94
2.2.1 Regional organisation
million passengers in 2011 and 2012 respectively. This represented
an increase of about 20% and as an estimated percentage
Administrative Boundaries
was 7.3% and 7.7% of the total air traffic of passengers in
The Al Madinah Region is currently distributed over nine
the Kingdom, which recorded 33.6 million and 38.5 million
administrative units representing the economic sectors of
passengers in the same years. The air traffic in Madinah is one of
the region, namely Madinah, and its directly related centres,
the fundamental and important pillars on which the present and
forming the Madinah City-region: Yanbu, Ola, Mahd, Badr,
future economic development projects in the region can rely.
Khaybar, Hanakiyah, Ais, and Wadi Al-Fari. The Madinah City-
region can host a diverse set of functions. Madinah and Yanbu
Sea transport
are considered to be development centres at the national
According to the Saudi Port Authority (SPA), the West Coast
level, with mixed-use functions and primary services related to
accounts for 70% of cargo coming in and out of the country and
industry, trade, commerce, agriculture, and culture. Madinah
hosts six of the Kingdom’s ten principal ports: KAP, JIP, Dhiba, Jizan,
and its city-region, as an economic sector, are ranked at the
Yanbu Commercial Port, and Yanbu’s King Fahad Industrial Port. In
top regarding population size, with almost 63% of the total
the Al Madinah Region, there are two ports on the Red Sea: King
population in the region.
Fahd Port in Yanbu Industrial City and Yanbu Commercial Port. The
ports of the region contribute a large proportion of the total shipping
As previously mentioned, the city of Madinah has reached
movement in the Kingdom. The quantities of goods handled at the
the stage of self-growth, being the fourth urban centre in
ports of the region (loaded and unloaded) were 43 million tonnes
the Kingdom and including proposed satellite developments
in 2013, representing 22% of the total goods handled at the
within the Regional Plan. At the city-region level, Yanbu
Kingdom’s ports, which amounted to 195 million tonnes in the same
and Badr have strong links with Madinah regarding water
year. The number of passengers in 2013 (arrivals and departures),
provision, trade, and transport, and overall the area has a
was approximately 50,000 passengers, representing about 3.7%
high agricultural potential both within the city and in the
of the total number of passengers by maritime transport in the
surrounding settlements of Al Henakiyah, Al Mindassah,
Kingdom, which was 1.35 million passengers in 2013.5
Shajwa, and Abu Rubayq.
Madinah
Yanbu
Badhr
Ola
Hanakiyah
Al-Mahd
Khaybar
Wadi Al-Fari
Ais
Fig. 6. Administrative boundaries
20
© FSCP
The Prophet’s Mosque
21
Linkages to National Spatial Strategy With a resident population of almost 1.4 million and a floating
The National Spatial Strategy (NSS) designates the city of population of about nine million every year, Madinah is
Madinah as a National Growth Centre, one of the three in the significantly important within the national urban landscape,
Al Madinah Region. The City of Madinah ranks fourth in terms compared to many other cities in the Kingdom. As mentioned,
of urban agglomeration in the Kingdom, after Riyadh, Jeddah the city of Madinah qualifies as a centre of national development
and Makkah. Madinah is anticipated to grow significantly over because of the many resources present, such as agriculture,
the next 30 years, reaching a projected permanent residential industry, and other important income-generating activities,
population of 2.06 million, and approximately 12 million visitors such as religious tourism, and the strategic importance of the Al
annually by 1462H (2040). Madinah Region. The NSS confirmed this through the goals it set
for the region:
The city of Madinah is considered to be a development centre
at the national level, together with the capital of the Yanbu • Achieving balanced regional urban development in the long
Governorate. However, Madinah has reached the so-called stage term;
of self-growth, being the fourth urban centre in the Kingdom • Expansion and enhancement of economic growth;
due to its population size. • Strengthening of selected growth centres in the cities of the
region; and
Madinah is also one the first eight urban centres that the NSS • Making the most of basic equipment existing in the current
supports as a top priority for the overall national development. This major urban centres (mainly represented by the city of
is due to the relative advantage of Madinah City in impacting the Madinah).
Al Madinah Region development, and of the region in spreading
regional development to the national level. This aspect positively Being a cultural/religious centre with rich agricultural resources,
affects the regional spatial balance in terms of distribution of the city of Madinah has an important role and a strategic location
services and central government functions provided by Madinah, in the region, linking and impacting three valuable functional
such as universities, research organisations, and specialist medical axes: the agricultural belt, the heritage axis along the Hejaz
services, among others. Balanced regional development is key in Region, and the mining / industry activities shaping the axis
ensuring efficient utilisation of infrastructure and public services stretching through Yanbu to Riyadh.
already in place, as well as directing support to the overall growth
of small and medium cities around it. Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah is the largest and most important
urban centre in the Al Madinah Region. Its religious significance
Governorate
Percentage of
xx.x% governorate population
in the region
population
Governorate area:
x,xxx km2
Fig. 7. Population distribution in the governorates according to 2010 census
22
makes it one of the most visited places in the Islamic world, and in the same year. In comparison with other regions in the
it receives over nine million Muslim pilgrims each year during Southwestern side of the Kingdom, the Al Madinah Region has
the Hajj and Umrah seasons. The city has been expanding a good network of roads and bridges connecting its major cities
rapidly since the 1970s. Due to rapid growth, the government as well as its industrial and commercial facilities, and the region is
invested heavily in physical infrastructure, which attracted also well connected to the neighbouring areas. Notwithstanding
labour from all over the Kingdom and other countries leading this well-developed regional road network, it is important to
to further growth of the city. note that public transport does not benefit from it, especially at
the urban level. In fact, within Saudi Arabia, public transport is
The sudden population growth exerted pressure on the city’s primarily focused on intercity routes as opposed to intra-city public
boundaries, creating more demand for land, and leading to an transport systems. Nonetheless, within the city of Madinah, the
explosion in land subdivisions. Land subdivision is considered Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) operates a
the main process by which rural land is converted into urban very modest public transport network (bus service) with very low
land. In Madinah, the land has been subdivided with diminutive ridership. The service is relatively infrequent and only attracts 700
reference to the rate of development or occupancy, which has to 2,000 passengers per day. 7
resulted in an enormous proportion of the subdivided plots
remaining vacant.6 Madinah City, as well as its city-region, is the epicentre of a
radial network of national and regional roads and highways,
2.2.2 Regional Structure and Resources like the Al Hijra, Yanbu, and Tabuk Roads, and the Al Qassim
Road. The city also has an important connection with Jeddah
Movement Infrastructure and Makkah through the Al-Haramain High-speed Railway. It
As earlier highlighted, the region’s main and minor transit is also worth noting that overall, the Madinah’s road network
arteries create a good network of connections throughout the functions at a satisfactory level. Although the automobile is
Al Madinah Region, with the highest concentration being at the still the preferred means of transportation within both the Al
region’s’ capital, the city of Madinah. The total length of the paved Madinah Region and the Madinah City-region, it has presented
roads belonging to municipalities, and distributed across the cities both the city and the region with some mobility challenges.
and villages of the Al Madinah Region, amounts to 6,227 linear
kilometres, accounting for 6.8% of the total roads managed by As such, the Regional Plan for Madinah 1420H (1999) foresaw
the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in the Kingdom for the the creation of three new suburban areas as well as three
year 2012, the total length of which was over 91,000 kilometres satellite cities within a 60-kilometre radius from the Haram
Drive time
15-minute
30-minute
60-minute
120-minute
Urban / rural centre population

0-45,489
45,490 - 52,000
52,001-58,600
58,601-283,000
283,000-1,300,000
Region 151,554 km2
Urban 800 km2
Percentage of urban 1%
Drive time Population Percentage of Total

15-minute 926,135 49,9%
30-minute 1,132,024 77,2%
60-minute 1,479,824 79,8%
> 120-minute 56,107 3,0%
Fig. 8. Accessibility in the Al Madinah Region
23
Area, which are intended to be linked to the Madinah City Region, like most of the country, has a semiarid to hyper-
through a hierarchical road network and, in some cases, a arid climate, characterised by high temperatures, very low
regional rail network. This proposal, still valid although not rainfall, and extremely high evapotranspiration. In Madinah,
fully implemented yet, was meant to manage the increase in summers are extremely hot, at 36-45°C, and winters are mild,
traffic as the region develops further. ranging between 15-20°C. Prevailing winds influence these
temperatures, from the Northwest with cooling air coming
Environmental and topographic elements from the mountains and hot, dry wind from the South. It is
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents 80% of the Arabian important to notice that, according to recent studies, the air
Peninsula, and it is mainly formed by large sandy and rocky temperature has increased by 1.7°C between 1959 and 20113
deserts with considerable mountainous areas, also presenting due to climate change.
2,410 kilometres of marine coast, 2.7 million hectares of
forest land, over 171 million hectares of rangelands, 35 square The city of Madinah, located 350 kilometres North of Makkah
kilometres of mangroves, and 1,480 square kilometres of coral and approximately 250 kilometres inland from the Red Sea
reefs.8 These ecosystems have an incalculable value, not only coast, is situated in close proximity to mountainous landforms,
do they structure the territory but they are also key elements which create a picturesque backdrop for the city. Geologically
for the national economy, and the welfare of the population. speaking, Madinah is situated on the structural province
of the Arabian Shield, which is an ancient land mass that
Saudi Arabia has a mid to high rate of population growth, covers approximately one-third of the country’s surface area,
one of the few in the world, standing at 1.45%. If not well influencing both precipitation rates and distribution of sand
managed, this growth can impact and deteriorate the natural deserts across the country. The city’s climatic conditions are
systems, affecting biodiversity and ecosystems’ dynamics. In the highly influenced by its unique physiography, characterised by
case of the Al Madinah Region, and of Madinah in particular, the mountains, large desert lands, and volcanic fields.
different drivers of environmental degradation have been
identified. On the one hand, unsustainable growth patterns, To the North, West and South, Madinah is enclosed by the Hejaz
and inadequate infrastructure are challenging future economic Regions’ arid hills. Other prominent mountains include Jabal
development and compromising existing natural resources. On Jamuah and Jabal Ghorabah to the Southwest, Jabal Sala’ to
the other hand, the burden on the environment is exacerbated the Northwest, and Jabal Ayr to the South. The dislocation of
by climate change, which is currently driving the already severe the rock strata in the West of Arabia has led to the upwelling
climate towards more extreme conditions. The Al Madinah of much lava, which has solidified into vast barren expanses,
Cities
Agricultural areas
Mining area
Volcanic area
Water reservoirs
Wadis
Rapid train railway
National highway
Regional highway
Secondary roads
Secondary roads
Rapid train station
Airport
Port
Fig. 9. Natural resources
24
©©
Shutterstock
Wikimedia
View of Southern Al Ula from the top of the mountains
25
known as the Harrat Rahat lava fields, which borders the East for irrigation, and the soil is highly fertile. Indeed, the existing
side and West side of the city. Around Madinah, especially in natural drainage patterns, and the agriculture they support
the Southeast, there are over 400 vents and craters, and more are integral parts of Medinah’s heritage. While agriculture
than 2,000 scoria cones along its Harrat. Studies define the accounts for 8% of the city, green areas are only 1%. These
hazard imposed by this volcanic environment as uncertain, limited open spaces (e.g., parks, plazas, and medians along
given that no eruption has happened in historical times. In roads), lack connectivity, are poorly distributed, and compete
addition, Madinah is within a seismically active area where with one another for usage. Still, in 2010, Madinah was the
significant earthquakes have occurred throughout its history. most vegetated area in comparison to the region, showcasing
Currently, there are two local seismic networks used to monitor its potential as an oasis in an arid region.
seismic activity around both Madinah and Makkah.
Economic resources
Regarding rainfall, the mean annual value is 47mm. In spite
of this low level, the area has relatively abundant water as Industry
the city is settled on a flat mountain plateau, at the junction The industry is de facto the largest and most important economic
of three wadis: Wadi Al Aqiq, Wadi Al Hemd, and Wadi Al sector in the Al Madinah Region, where there are two industrial
Aql. Saudi Arabia is known as the largest country in the cities: the first is the Industrial City of Yanbu, the second largest
world without perennial rivers or lakes; therefore, wadis are industrial city in the Kingdom; and the second is the Industrial
not permanent waterways. The wadis are dry all-year-round City of Madinah, which is built on an area of ten million square
except for the periods of intense rainfall. Still, they maintain a metres. In the city of Yanbu, there is also the Yanbu Refinery,
fairly high-water table that feeds the many wells and springs which in 2012, produced 25.5% of the total petroleum-refinery
that have been a historic water supply for the city. These wadis products in the Kingdom. The total number of productive
have gradually been dammed, starting with a dam built in the factories in the region is 188, representing 3% of the total
1940’s Northeast of the city, and a dam built in 1966 across number of productive factories in the Kingdom, which totaled
the upper course of Wadi Butan, which used to flood the city 6,364 at the end of 2013. In the same year, the total industrial
frequently. investments in the region were 88.9 billion riyals, representing
10.2% of the total finance of productive plants in the Kingdom,
The topographical and hydrological conditions described which was 873.2 billion riyals in total. Additionally, by the end of
above, have historically enabled Medinah to have an 2013, the number of recorded factory workers in Madinah was
important agricultural hinterland. The valleys provide water 32,500, representing 3.9% of the total industrial manpower in
the Kingdom, which totaled 828,000 workers.9
Commerce and services
UNESCO heritage site
Agriculture
Industry
Mining
Airport
Fig. 10. Economic nodes and network
26
© Mohamod Fasil
The view on the Holy City of Madinah
27
C ITY-REGION CONT E XT
2.3 City-region Structure and Dynamics

Agriculture Madinah and its directly related centres of Yanbu, Ola, Mahd,
The agricultural sector is still one of the most important Badr, Khaybar, Hanakiyah, Ais, and Wadi Al-Fari, form the
economic sectors in the region, where in 2011 the total crop Madinah City-region. The city-region can be identified by
area was 27.5 thousand hectares, representing about 3.5% following the main corridors that functionally link these set of
of the total crop area in the Kingdom, which totaled 788,000 cities within the Al Madinah Region together, specifically by
hectares in the same year. Khaybar and Al Ula, producing the heritage, religious, industrial, and agricultural corridors, as
mostly dates and wheat, are the main agricultural centres, highlighted in the corridors map.
and are directly linked to the Agricultural Corridor of the
Kingdom formed by Al-Qassim, Hail, Tabuk, and Madinah. It is Two main implied thoroughfares structure what forms the
important to note that during the period from 2007 to 2011, main transportation corridors in the city-region. Route 60,
there was a production increase in all agricultural products that runs Southwest from Badr and Northeast of the region,
of the region, with an annual increase in the total regional and Route 15, that runs Northwest through Khaybar and
production of 0.9% for vegetables, 4.3% for dates, and Southeast through Al Akhal of the region as well.
1.5% for fruits. During the same time, there was a rise in the
number of livestock, with 16.7% increase for camels, 4.6% A strong heritage corridor departing from the centre of the
for sheep, and 4.7% for poultry, while the number of goats city-region, in Madinah, and following the Hejaz rail-line to
and cows decreased, with an annual average of 10.5% and the North of the region towards Al-Ula and Tabuk, and to
14.7% respectively. The region also had a considerable honey the South towards Jeddah characterises the area. This is an
production in 2011, which amounted to 119 tonnes.10 important asset to the city-region, as it hosts the historical
Hejaz railway, which is part of UNESCO’s heritage sites list,
Mining and Quarrying and marked for preservation. If appropriately upgraded and
The mining and quarrying sector in Madinah is one of the serviced, the Hejaz railway could act as an attractor for cultural
key activities which can contribute to the utilisation of the tourism, producing revenues for the city-region.
natural resources in the region, also covering the needs for
raw materials by the construction and industrial sectors. Apart from the central core of Madinah as the religious,
Some companies and establishments are operating on site to industrial, and commercial centre, other major economic
extract raw materials, such as limestone and gypsum. These sectors like trade, industries, and maritime activities are
are used in manufacturing gypsum products, cement (sand), located in Yanbu, on the Western part of the city-region, while
ceramic (clay and kaolin), glass (silica sand), and together with agriculture is concentrated in Al-Hernakiyah, and services in
other natural mineral resources such as copper, zinc, and lead Badr. The city of Madinah and its consequent city-region
constitute a substantial regional resource. The main mining take advantage of the water desalination plant in Yanbu,
areas in the region are located in Al-Henakiyah and Yanbu, and equally important is the port connection to Ar Rayis in
providing mainly gold, copper, tantalum ores and manganese. Badr, making the functional connections across the city-region
Overall, more than 136 mining locations have been discovered stronger.
in the region, based on geological studies. Also in Madinah,
there is a major mine that extracts the most precious metal of
the Kingdom, the ore. The Mahad Al-Dahab mine, owned by
the Saudi Arabian mining company Maaden, is where the ore
is extracted from and then treated for the ultimate production
of gold. The annual production of the Mahad Al-Dahab mine
is estimated to be of over 1,500 kg of gold and 3,300 kg of
silver, 900 tonnes of copper and 600 tonnes of zinc per year.11
28
C I T Y- R E G I O N C O NTEXT
Urban footprimt
Agricultural areas
Grazing areas
Industrial zones
City-region boundary
National highway
Regional highway
Existing railway
Projected railway
(Yanbu - Rabigh - Jeddah)
Existing seaport
Existing airport
Existing train station
Fig. 11. Structural elements
City-region boundary
National highway
Regional highway
Existing railway
Projected railway
(Yanbu - Rabigh - Jeddah)
National growth centre
National growth centre

(industrial)
Mixed-use
Industry
Culture
Agriculture
Existing seaport
Existing airport
Existing train station
Fig. 12. Functional connectivity
29
30
3 GOVERNANCE AND
FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK
3
© FSCP
G OVERNANCE AND F INANCIAL F RAM E W ORK
3.1 Legal and Institutional Context
The planning legal framework of Madinah is shaped by the Regional Plan 2000 highlights the pivotal role that Madinah,
Kingdom’s legislative environment, which is based on Islamic as the regional capital, can play as the economic engine of
Sharia Law. The law-making authority is vested in four entities; the Madinah Region. The Madinah Local Plan applies urban
the King, the Shura Council, the Council of Ministers and controls to urban land use and building regulations within
the Ministerial departments. Consequently, there are five the municipal boundary, while the three phases of the Urban
legislative instruments (Royal Order, Royal Decree, Supreme Growth Boundary (2014, 2019, and 2030) aim to prevent
Order, Council of Ministers Resolution, and Ministerial Decree) urban sprawl on the outskirts of cities without adequate
that function in a hierarchical order, underpinning their urban infrastructure. The Land Subdivision Plans are the basic
authority and validity. building blocks that guide Madinah’s development.
Given this non-centralised law-making process, the city of Apart from NSS, these planning instruments are defined by
Madinah is guided by over 500 existing urban planning related procedural manuals within MoMRA, rather than by Law, and
instruments with most of these having been promulgated thus they lack legitimacy. By their nature, these instruments
at the lowest administrative level (Circulars),12 that lack cannot construct a system of legal accountability and
authoritative legal force. Moreover, the recent enactment of transparency of the relevant actors. Moreover, land use and
the Urban Boundary Law and its Executive Regulations No building control regulations have facilitated urban sprawl
60001 is causing pressure to preserve agricultural land inside within Madinah. This had led to unbalanced growth and
the urban boundary for cities including Madinah and causing development as well as social, economic, and environmental
a significant economic loss for the city and other cities famous unsustainability.
for their agricultural economic base.
In terms of reform, Madinah would benefit from both fiscal
and jurisdictional decentralisation to facilitate independent
2%
Land management and innovative solutions to urban social problems at the
3% Amanah level. This should entail:
41 %
Public space
16 %
• The transfer of local planning power, authority and
Plots and blocks function from MoMRA to the Amanah with provision
for independent action without recourse to effectively
Building regulations address community needs. This is supported by the New
Urban Agenda, which specifies that territorial urban
16% design and planning processes should be led by sub-
Financing
national and local governments, but their implementation
23 % will require coordination with all spheres of governments
Building & development rights
as well as participation of the civil society, the public
sector and other relevant stakeholders.
Fig. 13. Number of urban laws in KSA based on the Main Themes of • Fiscal decentralisation, which gives autonomy to the
Urban Planning Legislation (UN-HABITAT) Amanah to source funds to finance development
activities. Revenue generation activities in cities may also
include taxes and levies. Urban areas should be allowed to
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA) plays a collect some form of property taxes to fund development
significant role in Madinah’s growth and development patterns activities. The recent White Lands Act that imposes fees
because it is legally entrusted with the task of conducting on undeveloped plots in urban areas to tackle land
urban planning of the Kingdom’s cities, including the speculation, housing shortage and indiscriminate land
permitting of all types of construction activity. Consequently, development shows that regulatory mechanisms can be
the Municipality of Madinah (Amanah), as the local level leveraged to generate revenue while fostering an efficient
actor for Madinah, merely acts as an implementing arm for development framework.
MoMRA. The institutional budgetary system is also centralised, • Opening of avenues for actors, including the private and
meaning that Madinah’s development intervention is reliant voluntary sector and the general community, to participate
on funds allocation from MoMRA through an annual line item in decisions regarding projects that affect them.
budgeting, which is the sole fiscal means available.
The city of Madinah needs a functionally effective by-law that
The Kingdom’s planning system, which follows a hierarchy of preserves rural open space and agricultural land through clear
spatial level and is predominantly top-down, influences the terms and conditions for land use change with a clear and
spatial system of Madinah. The National Spatial Strategy (NSS) transparent decision-making process.
of 2001 is the guiding plan for the Kingdom. The Madinah
32
© Shutterstock
Clock Tower in the central part of Madinah
33
. The legal framework also needs to enshrine an acceptable mode • Environment protection;
of public participation in public decision making to foster equality • Infrastructure provision;
and inclusion. The consolidation of the urban legislation would • Detailed land use;
also give legitimacy to the plans that Madinah relies on. • Urban regulations; and
• Detailed proposals for selected areas.
Revising the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Law to include clear
criteria on how it is set would enhance technical and vertical The Comprehensive Plan of Madinah Metropolitan Area
accountability. The law also needs to place more emphasis on A report published in 201114 , indicates that the Madinah
establishing the Development Protection Boundary as a no- Development Authority (MDA) established a 20 year
development zone to prevent not only haphazard development Comprehensive Plan to guide development across the Madinah
but also avert private interests from taking advantage of the laxity Governorate. This plan addresses and provides policy guidelines
in the legal text. These initiatives will strengthen policy formulation on a broad range of thematic areas such as land use, urban design,
designed to make the city more sustainable, compact and dense. transportation, environment, and infrastructure and utilities’
Primarily, post-legislative scrutiny of the UGB Law should be done needs. The Plan, (prepared in 2013 by the MDA in cooperation
to assess if it has met its policy objectives. This could, in turn, inform with the consultant company, MMM Group Limited and
the legal reform process as well as the planning policy options. Moriyama & Teshima Architects) was approved by the MDA15 , but
it was rejected by the Amanah on the basis that it was in breach
3.2 Planning Instruments and Procedures of the planning standards set by MoMRA16. The following is a list
of previous plans that were reviewed as part of the comprehensive
3.2.1 Hierarchy of plans - Madinah planning process:
The planning system of Madinah is derived from the de facto • Eighth Five-Year Development Plan by the Ministry of
planning hierarchy of the Kingdom. In this framework, there are Economy & Planning (2005 – 2009)
four different levels of spatial plans: national, regional, local and • The Ninth Five-Year Development Plan by the Ministry of
district. Figure 14 highlights the planning instruments in force in Economy & Planning (2010-2014)
Madinah. • NSS for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the Ministry of
Municipal & Rural Affairs (2001)
• Regional Plan of Al Madinah (2000 - 2028) by Ahmad
3.2.2 The Al Madinah Regional Plan
Farid Mostafa (AFM) Consultants (2000)
• Madinah Urban Plan by Robert Matthew, Johnson
Regional planning represents the second-tier of spatial planning
Marshall Consultants (1973)
in the KSA, which aims to address the natural, urban, social and
• Madinah Master Plan by Mousalli, Mandili & Co. (1977)
economic regional development aspects. The Madinah Regional
• Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah Directive Plan (1989) by Dar
Plan was prepared and approved in 2000 by the Regional Council
Al Handasah Consultants
in collaboration with the Amanah including sectoral plans at the
• Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah Updated Directive (2000-
regional level. It aims to adopt a 20-year comprehensive vision
2028) by Ahmad Farid Mostafa (AFM) Consultants (2006)
for economic, social, and spatial development based on studies
• Central Al Madinah Development Action Plan (2001)
that were undertaken as part of the project. The plan demands
multilevel arrangements for governance (horizontal and vertical)
The Plan also consists of both a Development and Growth Strategy
that includes all government sectors, private businesses, and
and a Structural Plan. The Development and Growth Strategy
NGOs. However, the Regional Council has no authority over the
establishes the vision statement and the planning principles
governmental or semi-governmental sectors to ensure that the
that serve as the foundation for the Comprehensive Plan and
plan is implemented in the manner approved. Each authority
its supplementary sectoral reports. The vision statement aims to
follows its lead Ministry’s directives, objectives, strategy, and
direct future growth for Madinah to achieve a balance between a)
budget. There is no formal mechanism or requirement to follow
the natural and built environment, b) private investments vis-a-vis
the Regional Plan.
public welfare, and c) the needs of residents compared to visitors
to Madinah.
3.2.3 The Madinah Plan
The Structural Plan augments the Development and Growth
The Madinah Plan13 is a planning tool constituted by a strategic
Strategy with more detailed aspects that articulate the desired future
component, namely the Comprehensive Plan of Al Madinah
development pattern in Madinah. It is built upon a series of studies
Metropolitan Area, and of a regulatory document, the Local Plan.
to respond to diverse and pertinent urban challenges based on the
The scope of these plans includes:
vision of the city’s administration. The main objectives are to provide
social and public facilities, better spatial design and concentrate
• Long-term strategy for the city;
development in nine (9) special plan areas, which include:17
• Identification of relevant development areas;
• Identification of urban/not urban land;
• New Central Area, inclusive of the Civic Centre and Old
• Main mobility system;
34
G O V E R N A N C E A N D FI N A N C I A L FR A M EWO R K
Hejazi Railway Station Focal Area; infrastructure in a cost-effective and integrated manner; c) set basic
• Knowledge Economic City (KEC) Node; requirements for proposed road networks; and d) help facilitate the
• Quba Mosque Node and Sunnah Path; development of public and private sector housing.
• Miqat Mosque Node;
• Universities Node; There is no legal framework to direct the preparation and
• Seven Mosques and Al Qiblatain Mosque Focal Areas and implementation of local plans. Rather, it is prepared by various
corridor; consultants following the “Booklet of the Terms of Reference
• Uhud Path and Focal Area; for the Preparation of the Local Plan,” which is formulated
• Key Wadis, including the open channelization of portions by MoMRA. This Booklet was updated in 2015, and one key
of Wadi Bathan; and technical change is the requirement that the lifespan of new
• Informal Areas. plans should be 14 years (2015-2029).
In terms of land use, this plan identifies strategic land uses and The development of the Local Plan is complicated by the fact that
infrastructure networks within the metropolitan area of the there are parallel structures set up by MoMRA and the Ministry of the
2030/1450 Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). For instance, 13% of Interior. While the legal mandate for planning lies in the Municipalities
land is allocated for residential development. (under MoMRA), there are jurisdictional overlaps with the Regional
Development Authority In other words, while MoMRA is the
Local Plan central spatial planning institution but there is no clear coordination
The Local Plan represents the third level of the urban planning system mechanism. This frequently leads to decision-making impasse which
in KSA and is largely focused on those areas of a municipality, which affects the delivery of technical standards within municipalities such
are contained within the UGB with a special focus on housing. The as Madinah.
Local Plan contains the Urban Atlas which details the allowed land uses
for every part of the city. It is complemented by a report of regulations The Local Plan was approved in 2014 by MoMRA. The
which contains specifications on the permissible development rights Zoning Regulations Document, approved in 2015, details the
such as floor area ratio, street dynamics, building heights, areas of suitable land uses and building heights, floor area ratio and
special building regulations, etc. geographical extent of the built-up area. The following are the
Plan’s implementation challenges:
The aim of the Local Plan is to a) apply urban controls to urban
land use and building regulations; b) to provide public services and • Other government Ministries influence the plan in relation
© Shutterstock
Public spaces are important for the social and religious life of the city
35
Fig. 14. FSCP simplified representation of hierarchy of plans and the planning instruments for the city of Madinah
36
37
to the expansion of the area of the Holy Mosque • Development projects outside of the boundary are only
• The Amanah misunderstands the contents and differences permitted with the approval of MoMRA; and
between the Directive/Master Plan and similar plans such • Large-scale development projects should follow specified
as local and Structural plan. detailed standards.
• The comprehensive plan is technically non-binding since
the Amanah rescinded MDA’s approval, based on non- The Law also defines development standards that a developer is
conformity to the planning standards set by MoMRA. obliged to comply with based on strategic categories of national,
regional, and local centres and the size of the lot. Madinah is
3.2.4 The Madinah Urban Growth and De- categorised as a National Growth Centre (See Figure 15).
velopment Protection Boundaries
Legally, the area between the Development Protection Boundary
Legal Framework and the 1450 (2030) Urban Growth Boundary is protected and
In 2008, the Prime Minister issued decree No. 157, which sets not earmarked for development, but the law also outlines
the overall regulations for both the Urban Growth Boundary (until mechanisms for building mega or national-regional economic
2030) and the Development Protection Boundary. The executive projects therein.
regulations were issued in 2010 by the MoMRA Ministerial
Decree No. 11769 followed by the current revision (MoMRA Moreover, given the law, certain agencies have rights to land
Ministerial Decree No. 66000) which was enacted in 2014. The situated in such areas, where approval of development projects
growth boundary is intended to control urban expansion and is routinely controlled by set of regulations in this regard.
prevent sprawl in the outskirts of cities without adequate urban Additionally, given the legal flexibility around the definition of
infrastructure, whereas the DPB sets a long-term plan for future “mega” or “strategic” projects, private residential developments
development of cities beyond the 2030 UGB. exist outside the 1450 (2030) Urban Growth Boundary. These
The 2014 Decree stipulates several general development factors have undermined the functional effectiveness of the
principles including: regulations, the rule of law, as well as compact development of
urban areas, such as Madinah.
• Strategic development projects that are part of the spatial
strategies, including major road and railway networks Setting the Boundary
passing through private lands, should be prioritised over The Urban Growth Boundary for Madinah was set
any other development projects; simultaneously, along with other cities, by MoMRA, through a
© FSCP
First validation workshop
38
Committee under the Unit of Coordination and Projects. The Region;

composition of the committee is not yet clear, for instance, • The Amanah will then assess the application in
it did not involve the municipality of Madinah Governorate, accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Urban
which is responsible for planning at the city level. There is an Growth Boundary; except those cases defined by MoMRA
understanding that the calculations were based on selective Ministerial Decree No 17777. This Decree delegates
factors, such as historical growth and expected population certain roles to the mayors in regards to approving land
growth in the city; however, there is no accurate published subdivision, solely in relation to the size of residential
criteria on how the size of the boundary was calculated. projects. The Mayor of Madinah is an approval authority
Spatially, there are areas located within the urban boundary under this Law;
in the East of Madinah that cannot be used because they are • The application is then sent to MoMRA for review in
covered by basaltic rocks (Harat). accordance with development standards and applicable
building codes, and building permits are either refused or
Challenges granted by MoMRA;
There are unplanned settlements outside the urban boundary • A developer whose permit has been refused has two
as well as the disparity between the size of the boundary options of appeal: a) recourse to the Amanah and
and the demographic dynamics of Madinah based on the MoMRA calling a re-study of the application; or b) file
Committee’s calculations which undermine densification. the case in the relevant jurisdictional administrative court;
In other words, based on current population growth • The decision in the above appeal processes is final and
projections, the 2030 density will be 20.3 p/ha, which is well binding to all the parties.
below any recommended target, including the UN-Habitat
recommendation of 150 p/ha. 3.2.5 White Lands Act
Permitting The percentage of undeveloped land (“white lands”), in

Development within the urban growth boundary is closely Madinah, is 18% of the land inside the current urban boundary
linked to permitting and development control. The process is area (1440H) / 2019. The existence of “white lands” has been
as follows: a major contributor to a growing housing shortage particularly
• A developer submits a land subdivision plan, including for the youth and the growing population as owners choose
detailed implementation plans for the instalment of the to hoard property to maximise value rather than develop it.
requisite infrastructure to the Amanah of the Madinah The government recently issued the White Lands Tax Law that
URBAN BOUNDARY CLASSIFICATION OF LAND SUBDIVISION APPROVALS

AND THE URBAN BOUNDARY PHASES
EXECUTIVE REGULATION ISSUED BY THE MINISTERIAL DECREE
NO 66,000 IN 20/12/2014
1ST PHASE (2014-2018) 2ND PHASE (2019-2024) 3RD PHASE (2025-2030)
NATIONAL GROWTH CENTRES (MAKKAH, RIYADH, MADINAH, JEDDAH AND DAMMAM)
MORE THAN 500,000 SQM
- Tarmacking of internal roads - Tarmacking of internal roads - Tarmacking of internal roads

- Water, sanitation and electricity - Water, sanitation and electricity - Water, sanitation and electricity
- Median light poles - Median light poles - Median light poles
- Storm water infrastructure - Storm water infrastructure - Storm water infrastructure
- Connect to closest main road - Connect to closest main road
- Percentage of residential area complet- - Percentage of residential area completed
ed not less than 50% not less than 50%
- Provide land for social services - Provide land for social services
(schools, kindergartens, hospitals, etc.) (schools, kindergartens, hospitals, etc.)
- Tarmacking of internal roads

- Sanitation and electricity - -
- Provide land for social services
(schools, kindergartens, hospitals)
Fig. 15. Matrix showing the development options within the phases of the urban boundary in the National Growth Centres (Including Madinah)
39
Fig. 16. FSCP simplified representation of Planning Process and Actors involved in the preparation of the Madinah Local Plan
40
41
imposes an annual land tax of 2.5% of its value on “white is entrusted with the task of conducting urban planning of the
land,” which is defined as vacant land located in ‘populated Kingdom’s cities, including providing the necessary roads and
areas’; zoned for residential or for dual residential and fixtures, maintenance and cleanliness of the environment, as well
commercial use. This Law aims to: a) increase the supply of as of licensing all types of construction activity.19
developed land to better address housing shortages; b) make
residential land available at reasonable prices, and c) combat The Deputy Ministry of Town Planning under MoMRA and its
monopolistic practices. The Ministry of Housing, which is the departments, such as Local Planning, Studies & Research, Projects
implementing authority, will enforce the Law in phases. At Coordination and Urban Planning & Design, is mandated to
the moment, the Act is operational only in Makkah, Riyadh, coordinate with “concerned bodies” in charge of planning, to
Dammam and Jeddah (see figure 17). achieve comprehensive urban development.20 In practice, there is
little coordination between these departments and the Amanah,
7%
45% and this affects service delivery and project implementation.
Riyadh
21% Jeddah
3.3.2 Regional context
According to the Ministry of Interior administrative classification,

Dammam
the Al Madinah Region is divided into nine governorates (5 are
class A while 4 are class B), and 101 centres (45 are class A
Others
while 56 are class B).
27%
Madinah, being the regional capital, is not included in this
classification but is instead governed through a “municipality”
Fig. 17. Percentage of white lands – First phase of implementation of (Amanah), and headed by a Mayor. This delineation is provided
the White Lands Law for by MoMRA with Madinah’s actual status being a 1st class
Amanah. Given this structure, the Amanah is allocated funds
3.2.6 Land Subdivision Plans by MoMRA for development action and municipal services
through an annual line-item budgeting, which is the sole fiscal
The land subdivision plans are the basic building blocks for the KSA means available to Madinah
cities’ growth and development. The Mayor of the Madinah Amanah
has the power to approve the land subdivision in accordance with There are additional institutions in the Madinah Region that
the following criteria (Ministerial Decree No. 17777 of 2010): manage and regulate the development process. The newly
established Madinah Region Development Authority (MRDA)
• The land must be within the approved urban boundaries; and the Amarah of the region, headed by the Regional Prince
• The land-use specified for the land is consistent with the who, pursuant to the Regional Law,21 reports to the Ministry
instructions and regulations governing it; of Interior.
• The subdivision will not result in cancellation or
modification of an approved regulation, planning or The Regional Council is based in the Amarah and is required to:
authorised land use; and
• All necessary planning procedures have been completed • Identify the needs of the region and propose their
and the Deputy Ministry for Town Planning (DMTP) has inclusion in the National Development Plan;
been issued with a certified copy of the plan after its • Identify beneficial projects for the region and submit
approval. these as activities requiring funding. These requests are
vetted, and viable projects selected for funding. Funding
The Ministry of Housing can approve land subdivision for is provided as part of the National Development Plans and
housing projects if the Amanah fails to respond within 60 annual budget of the country, which is the sole means
days. The Amanah has approved 36 land subdivisions between available to municipalities
January-December 2017.18 • Study the organisational arrangement of the regional
administrative centres, follow up implementation of any
3.3 The Institutional Context modifications; and
• Implement the provisions of the development and budget
3.3.1 Urban institutions in KSA plan, and carry out the needed coordination.
Madinah’s growth and development pattern is impacted by the The Municipal Council, also located in the Amanah, with two-
centralised planning institutional framework of the KSA, under thirds of its members elected by citizen’s votes while MoMRA
the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA). MoMRA appoints the rest, supervises the activities of the Amanah
42
and municipalities to make sure that they conform to the the Mayor are members of the Authority. The MDA is affiliated
Local Plan, as well as meet the current needs of the region. to the Region Council which reports to the Ministry of Interior.
It approves: It has approximately 10 urban planners.
• The municipal budget sourced from the cash allocation In 2010, the Development Commission of Al-Madinah Al-
from the national government. This is constantly subject Munawarah (DCOM) was established by the Prime Minister
to revision as it is based on the agreed priorities between Decree number 717 on 20/6/1974 and the latest decree for
the Council and the Mayor; reorganisation and scope of duties was issued by Royal Decree
• Examines the residential plans focusing on whether any number (3/A) on 28/12/2009 to direct planning in a unified
procedural violation occurred; and coordinated manner based on an integrated vision for
• The scope of municipal services; and future.
• Expropriation projects based on the priorities of the
Mayor. From 2012, DCOM is recognised as the Madinah Development
Authority, which was initially responsible for the expansion
3.3.3 Local context – Madinah project of the Holy Mosque of the Prophet, (Al-Masjed Al-
Nabawi). Recently the scope and name of the agency changed,
The Al Madinah Region is composed of several cities including becomng the Madinah Region Development Authority.
Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, which is the capital and largest
city. The city has two agencies that manage and plan the city Finally, the Local Planning Department under MoMRA is
a) the Amanah and b) the Madinah Development Authority responsible for the implementation of two initiatives related
(MDA). The Amanah is headed by a Mayor who is appointed to the National Transformation Programme: a) the preparation
by the Minister of MoMRA, and the rest of the Amanah’s of the Local Plan; b) technical support to the drafting process
executive members are appointed by the Civil Service Bureau of the Planning Act; and c) undertaking studies on roads and
based on their professional qualifications. parking spaces. Some institutional challenges include:
The Department of Construction and Development (DOCD), • Limited coordination and communication between MDA
within the Amanah, is responsible for planning and and the Amanah of Madinah in the development of the
implementing in-force urban legislation. The DOCD22 ensures Comprehensive Plan which leads to decision-making
compliance with MoMRA’s outline for the Kingdom’s cities, impasse;
rural areas, streets, and construction designs. The DOCD • The recruitment and selection process is bureaucratic
consists of five main departments a) the General Department and time-consuming. This is one of the procurement
of Urban Planning; b) the Strategic Development Department; challenges that most government agencies are currently
c) the Department of Construction Licenses; d) the Survey and facing especially due to the dynamics of the country to
Land Department; and e) the GIS Department. meet the targets of the NTP, and the vision 2030;
• The Amanah has limited competency to draft and
However, it is difficult to ascertain the manner that these units implement by-laws;
link with other authorities since the internal structure constantly • Madinah Development Authority is not utilising the data
changes with no technical accountability. The Amanah of the observatory indicators due to lack of coordination
established a Local Urban Observatory, which is monitored by mechanisms, laws and regulations, and lack of direct
the National Urban Observatory (MoMRA Ministerial Decree regular mechanisms for sharing and utilisation of the
No. 1280 of 2007). This observatory supports DOCD by outcomes of the regular updates of the indicators.
measuring, every three years, the progress of: • External pressure on the Amanah and MDA, from the
Ministry of Finance, (which is involved in certain planning
• Achieving Vision 2030; projects) which prompts the revision of both the Local
• Achieving Goal 11 of the SDGs; and Plan and the Comprehensive Plan.
• City Prosperity Index indicators and other contextualised
urban indicators. 3.3.4 Legal and institutional implications
for Madinah
The Amanah has approximately 22 urban planners, which
is inadequate to manage its planning functions. The MDA’s Most of the technical decisions and approvals in the local
General Directorate of Planning is also responsible for the governance system (Amanah), including planning decisions,
spatial organization of the city. are made on a discretionary basis based on the priorities set for
the city. Therefore, the system lacks technical accountability,
The Authority is presided over by the Prince of the Region. The predictability, and practical clarity.
Minister of Hajj (Religious Affairs), the Minister of Finance and
43
3.4 Financial Context
3.4.1 Financial system
Efficient public finance and sound fiscal management Although between 2013 and 2016, own-source revenue
are fundamental for establishing a solid financial base, increased from SAR 240 million to SAR 325 million in the
strengthening the public sector, and, hence, supporting local Madinah Amanah, they remain below the NTP goal of 40%. To
development. This chapter examines the financial system in help bolster the own-source income, UN-Habitat recommends
Saudi Arabia and in particular, Madinah. introducing new tax tools and financing strategies.
The financial system for Madinah mirrors the degree of

Key Accounts SAR (thousands)
centralisation observed in the overall governance system of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The Ministry of Municipal Sales 70,000
and Rural Affairs (MoMRA), via the Amanahs, is responsible Service fees and charges 110,000
for financing municipal service activities such as city planning,
Leasing 115,000
building licensing, and road maintenance.
Other Revenue 30,100
In addition to MoMRA, a number of other specialised
agencies, (e.g., the emirs, and national ministries) fund and Total 325,100
implement projects at the local level. For instance, the Ministry
of Education funds city schools directly, instead of funding Source: Madinah Amanah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
them through the Amanahs.
3.4.2 Municipal revenue Other

Revenue
Currently, the Amanahs has few sources of revenue and limited 9%
Sales 22%
authority to collect fees. MoMRA has recently introduced
municipal fees, which expanded their own-source revenue
base; however, local revenues continue to be insufficient.
Consequently, the Amanahs continue to rely on support from
the central budget.
The central government finances most of the public services

and infrastructure at the local level. Baladiyahs elaborate and
submit project proposals to municipal governments so that
they can be submitted for funding. Municipalities send these Service Fees
proposals to MoMRA and the MoF (see Figure 18).23 The MoF and Charges Leasing
34%
allocates funds to ministries and government agencies, (e.g., 35%
emirs, and national ministries) and these are allocated based
on various factors, such as population. Municipalities spend
the amount received on the activities included in the line-item Source: Madinah Amanah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia )2017(
budget proposal.
Fig. 18. Madinah Amanah own-source of revenue, 2017
M0MRA introduced new fees to increase municipality’s own Every year the MoF solicits each ministry for budget proposals.
sources of revenue. In the financial year 2017, Madinah Thus, ministries are responsible for drafting budgets that are
generated 23% of its budget with own-source revenue. Land compliant with budgetary guidelines. Even though the final
sales, advertising sign fees, fees on shop signage, land rental decision is usually a top-down process, within MoMRA, the
and rental of commercial buildings are the main contributors to procedure tends to be bottom-up, which means that lower
own-source revenue (figure 19). In particular, land sales, land levels of government submit projects for the next budgetary
rental and rental of commercial buildings represent 54% of cycle.
Amanah’s local income, as 18%, 12%, and 23% respectively.
For example, Amanahs gather project proposals from
The gap between own-source revenue and the municipal Baladiyahs, which are then submitted to MoMRA. Following
budget is usually filled by intergovernmental transfers, budget evaluations and revisions, the approved projects are
resulting in municipal governments heavily relying on financial included for review by the MoF. After review and approval, the
resources from the central government. MoF allocates funding accordingly.
44
Development
Ministry of Finance Parks of Municipal
2% Performance
Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs
<1%
)MoMRA(
Public Utilities
Building <1%
Municipal government Municipal government
)Amanah( )Amanah( 3%
Environmental
Health
5%
Baladiyah Baladiyah Baladiyah Baladiyah
Studies
7%
Villages Villages Villages Villages Villages Villages Villages Villages
Source: Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fig. 19. Municipal budget process
3.4.3 Financing municipal operating costs

Municipal Roads
Despite minor setbacks between 2013 and 2017, own-source Flood Protection 48%
revenue increased from SAR 240 million in 2013 to SAR 325 35%
million in 2015, a total of 35%. Madinah remains dependent
on intergovernmental transfers and other financial resources
provided by the central government, and in 2017, only 23% Source: Madinah Amanah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2017)
of Madinah’s budget was funded by own-source revenue.
Fig. 21. Project budget categories, 2017
Figure 21 shows a breakdown of Madinah’s 2017 budget

by expenditure category. Operation, maintenance, and
programmes constitute the largest share of Madinah’s
budget, followed by salaries and operation expenses. Project
expenditures during the fiscal year 2017 were primarily 3.4.4 Capital financing for municipal
focused on public infrastructure, such as municipal roads and development
flood protection, accounting for 48% and 35% of Madinah’s
municipal budget, respectively. The demand for capital to finance local infrastructure in
emerging countries is becoming a priority, especially in cities
While municipal own-source revenue has increased over the like Madinah. To fulfill the financial requirements and address
last several years, its share of total municipal revenue has these new development challenges, financing options
lagged. If the national government urges a 40% of own-source available to countries such as Saudi Arabia has been rapidly
revenue target, as proposed in the National Transformation expanding. Recent reforms are aiming to improve the Saudi
Programme, (NTP), without supportive policy incentives and capital market through increased market capitalisation. For
intermediate goals, municipalities may be pressed to promote example, the Capital Market Law, the Securities and Exchange
sub-optimal land use and development projects, which would Commission, and a privately owned Stock Exchange were
create negative externalities.24 recently launched in Saudi Arabia, with the goal of improving
the domestic capital market.
Budget Category SAR (thousands)

Between 2011 and 2016, Saudi equities increased in value
Salaries 323,096 from just over 50% to almost 70% of GDP (Gross Domestic
Operation Expenses 34,152 Product). Today, Tadawul is the sole Saudi stock exchange
market and the largest equities exchange market in the Arab
Operation and Maintenance 580,250
Programmes and Contracts world.25 In addition to Tadawul, Saudi Arabia introduced
Projects Nomu, an equity market with fewer listing requirements
461,672
for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Nomu is a
Own-source Revenue 325,100 good option for SMEs that are interested in going public.
Total 1,399,170 In addition to providing traditional banking services, Saudi
Arabia’s domestic banks went through a series of mergers
and acquisitions, changed their assets structure, and began
Source: Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia (2016)
to offer both conventional and Islamic financial products to
Fig. 20. Madinah Amanah budget, 2016
45
a diversified investor base.26 The Saudi Arabian market is and the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources
becoming an example of efficient capital allocation driven by managed national utilities. The Electricity and Cogeneration
strategic reforms and increased market capitalisation.27 Regulatory Authority (ECRA) was established in 2001, and
it is responsible for licensing all entities operating in either
Regarding Saudi Arabia’s debt market, the government the electricity or water desalination spheres, in addition to
began issuing bonds for debt financing in 1988. In the last regulating providers. ECRA ensures that the Saudi Arabia’s
15 years, the debt market underwent a series of reforms, supply of electricity and water is in pace with demand, that
which changed the process for issuing bonds, pricing bonds, quality standards are met, and that water and electricity are
and setting bond maturity terms. One of the major buyers priced fairly.
of government bonds is the group Investors in Government
Development Bonds (GDBs), which consists of domestic The largest electricity provider is the Saudi Electricity Company
financial institutions, banks, and foreign investors.28 GDBs (SEC). In 2015, the SEC was solely responsible for distributing
are Zakat deductible for domestic investors, and exempt electricity to consumers, with the exception of two areas
from withholding tax on income for foreign investors. Saudi (Jubail and Yanbu), which were operated by Marafiq, the
Arabia’s approach to creating the competitive and attractive country’s first private integrated power and water utility
conditions for capital and equity investors is expected to company. Residential customers held the largest share of the
have a wide-ranging impact on the local economies of cities SEC client base (6.7 million) in 2015 and consumed 48.4%
like Madinah in the future, thus increasing the availability of of its energy output. The second largest consumer group was
capital to fund urban development. commercial users (1.5 million consumers, 16.3% of energy
sales), followed by government (261,111 consumers, 13% of
Housing Finance energy sales) and industry (10,044 consumers, 18.1% energy
The Saudi Arabian real estate market is ten times larger than any sales).31
real estate market in the Gulf Region. Nevertheless, it remains
underdeveloped with approximately 30% of Saudi’s citizens The primary water provider is the Saline Water Conversion
owning their own home. Home ownership is currently legally Corporation (SWCC), and it is responsible for approximately
confined to Saudi nationals only, although foreigners can buy 60% of the Kingdom’s production of desalinated water. In
leasehold property in designated developments. The demand in 2015, 54% of all desalination plant units were owned and
the KSA is primarily generated by local buyers rather than foreign operated by the SWCC, with the largest of the SWCC’s
investors and is driven by the total population growth (3.1%), and plants located in Jubail. In 2016, Jubail’s production reached
the overall Saudi national population growth (2.2%). 358 million cubic metres, equivalent to 26% of SWCC’s
Prior to the mortgage law and mortgage financing, either the total annual production. SWCC also has desalination plants
Real Estate Development Fund or commercial banks financed located in Khobar, Jeddah, and Shuaibah. SWCC is also
the housing credit market. The Real Estate Development responsible for the transportation of desalinated water from
Fund is one of the main sources for soft loans to Saudi the production plants to the country’s main potable water
nationals to finance home building. Commercial banks, in reservoirs.
general, provide mortgages to those who can provide large
down payments. In order to fill the resulting financing gap in The National Water Company (NWC) manages Saudi Arabia’s
the housing market, a series of finance laws were approved freshwater reservoirs, which is responsible for the water
consisting of (1) the Enforcement Law, (2) the Real Estate distribution. The NWC oversees water supply and sanitation in
Finance Law, (3) the Registered Real Estate Mortgage Law, the largest cities, Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, and Taif. Outside
(4) the Finance Lease Law, and (5) the Finance Companies of these metropolitan areas, the Ministry of Environment
Control Law.29 Initially, the loan-to-value rate for mortgages Water and Agriculture, and the Ministry of Energy Industry
was fixed at a rate of 70%. Compared to other countries, and Mineral Resources manage water supply and sanitation
such as the United Kingdom and India, where the rate is 90- through regional directorates and branches, (i.e., the General
95% and 80% respectively, the loan-to-value ratio offered Directorate of Water in the Madinah Region). Although the
in Saudi Arabia was considerably lower. Recently, Saudi SEC and the SWCC are largely government-run agencies,
Arabia’s central bank lifted the maximum loan-to-value rate Saudi Arabia is exploring restructuring options that will allow
on mortgages from 85% to 90% in an effort to stimulate the private sector participation.
supply of mortgage loans.30 Thanks to the recent legislation,
international finance companies are now able to extend Financing Health and Social Services
credit lines in housing. In accordance with the Saudi constitution, the government
provides all citizens and expatriates working within the
Financing Utilities public sector with full and free access to all public healthcare
In 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, services.32 The Ministry of Health is the primary government
46
© Osama Bhutta
The Green Dome of The Prophet’s Mosque and the surrounding city
47
provider of healthcare services in Saudi Arabia, with a total to provide a significant source of revenue for the Ministry of
of 249 hospitals and 2,094 primary health care facilities. Housing, curb land speculation, and protect agricultural land.
Government healthcare comprises 60% of all health services However, neither of these is a silver bullet to own-source
in Saudi Arabia.33 The private sector also contributes to the revenue diversification in the KSA. A wide spectrum of land-
delivery of healthcare services, especially in more populated based financing instruments exists beyond its current focus
cities and towns. There are 125 private hospitals (11,833 on leasing and WLT. In the age of decreasing oil income,
beds) and 2,218 private dispensaries and clinics, comprising Madinah will require greater revenue stability and self-
21% of hospital services in the region.34 sustainability to meet its ever-growing expenditure needs.
To this end, Madinah must explore a variety of financing
The Ministry of Health supervises 20 regional directorates of instruments and improve the capacity of the existing land
healthcare affairs in various parts of the country, (e.g., Health management system.
Affairs General Directorate of Madinah). The role of the 20
directorates includes (1) implementing healthcare policies, Urban Value Generation
plans and programmes, (2) managing and supporting the Public finance and sound fiscal management support local
Ministry of Health’s healthcare services, (3) supervising and development by establishing a solid financial base and
organising private sector healthcare services, (4) coordinating strengthening the public sector’s role. While these principles
with other government agencies and (5) coordinating with are echoed in the National Development Plan guiding both
partner institutions. national and subnational public finance, in practice, Madinah
operates under a highly centralised system of public finance
In Madinah there are 20 Ministries of Health hospitals (47 and continues to be heavily dependent on intergovernmental
in Riyadh and 14 in Jeddah) holding 2,818 beds. In order transfers to fund local development activities and projects.
to meet the increasing demand for healthcare services, the In 2017, the central government allocated 5% of the total
Ministry of Health has given regional directorates wider budget to municipal services, which also covered projects and
autonomy in terms of planning, recruitment, power to programmes managed by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural
establish agreements with healthcare service providers and Affairs (MoMRA), (see figure 22 and figure 23).
financial discretion in budgetary and expenditure matters.
Nevertheless, for most activities, regional directorates must To reduce reliance on intergovernmental transfers and
receive authorisation from the Ministry of Health and, increase the performance of municipal services and activities,
therefore, have limited autonomy. 35 the government is exploring alternative means to generate
revenue.
3.4.5 Financial sustainability
Madinah’s economic growth and urban development trajectory
Under the current system, the central government funds the are strongly correlated to planning and design, municipal finance,
majority of infrastructure and public services while municipal and governance. Land management and urban planning can
governments play a minor role. Despite the concerted support the transformation of municipal finance by improving local
effort to improve fiscal health envisioned in NTP, fiscal self- ability to generate revenue. For example, Madinah could explore
sustainability at the municipal level remains a challenge in a number of revenue generating instruments, such as partnering
the context of rising urban populations and unplanned urban with the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
growth. in the operation and maintenance of public transportation
infrastructure, tax administration and collection, waste
Land-based Finance management services, and municipal property management.
Land is widely recognised as one of the most effective revenue
generating instruments for subnational governments. In order for this to work, the foundational principles of sustainable
Land-based finance provides both a stable revenue source urbanisation mentioned above must be either present or actively
and incentives that support local economic and urban pursued by governments. Consequently, local governance
development. In the Madinah Amanah, land is already a structures that adopt a three-pronged comprehensive approach
major contributor to municipal own-source revenue. In 2017, will be better positioned to maximise urban value.
30% of the municipal revenue derived from land sales and
rental.36
The introduction of 2.5% White Lands Tax (WLT) is further

proof that the Kingdom’s recognition of land-based
finance as a powerful revenue source. In Madinah, where
approximately 41% of land is vacant,37 the WLT is expected
48
Infrastructure
& Transport Public
Economic 5% Programmes Unit
Resources 10%
5% Public
Administration
Health & Social 3%
Development
12%
Military
25%
Education
25%
Security & Regional

Municipal Administration
Services 12%
3%
Source: Bhatia, R. (2017). Saudi Arabia Budget 2017. The Gulf’s International Bank.
Fig. 22. Saudi Arabia national expenditure by sector, 2016
Infrastructure
Public
& Transport
Programmes Unit
Economic 6%
12%
Resources
5% Public
Administration
Health & Social 3%
Development
14%
Military
21%
Education
23%
Security & Regional

Municipal Administration
Services 11%
5%
Source: Bhatia, R. (2017). Saudi Arabia Budget 2017. The Gulf’s International Bank.
Fig. 23. Saudi Arabia national expenditure by sector, 2017
49
50
4 THE CURRENT CITY
© Wikimedia
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.1 Urbanisation Patterns
4.1.1 The city’s development patterns
The holy city of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah is the POPULATION

administrative capital of the Al Madinah Region, 340
kilometres North of Makkah. It is Islam’s second holiest city,
which welcomes worshipers from the greater region during 1,385,192 + Floating population
Ramadan and a significant number of international visitors
who come either before or after Hajj, (the annual Islamic
pilgrimage) to accomplish their pilgrimage to Makkah. The
city’s official name is Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, which
FLOATING POPULATION PER YEAR (religious tourism)
means the “enlightened” or “radiant” city. Madinah is home 3,249,000 Hajj
to the Tomb of Muhammad (grave of the Prophet Muhammad),
and the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid An-Nabawi), which is the 5,757,000 Umrah
heart of the city.
Madinah has a unique administrative structure. The city is a

9,006,000 Total
capital of the Al Madinah Region and includes seven major
municipalities. The central municipality, Al Haram, is located
within the 1st Ring Road, in the heart of the city, close to the
POPULATION DENSITY on built-up area
Prophet’s Mosque and the surrounding services. Besides this
particular municipal subdivision, Madinah also has a unique
administrative structure within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 30.9 p/ha
The city of Madinah hosts the city government, under the
control of the Mayor of the city, as well as the Development
Commission of Makkah Al-Mukarama, Al-Madinah Al-
Munawwarah and Al-Mashaer Al-Muqaddasa (DCOMMM). AGE PROFILE
The DCOMMM was formed in 2004 (1425H), through Royal
Order number A/204, with the specific task of coordinating 72.8% < 34
planning efforts among three areas; Makkah, Madinah, and
Al-Mashaer. In 2010, the DCOMMM was transformed into
two separate commissions: the Development Commission
of Makkah Al-Mukarama and Al-Mashaer Al-Muqaddasa
POPULATION GROWTH RATE
(DCOMM) and the Development Commission of Al-Madinah
Al-Munawara (DCOM), which is recognised as the Madinah
Development Authority (MDA). The Council of DCOM is chaired 2.9 %
by His Royal Highness the Governor of Madinah Province,
and the other members of the Council are His Highness the 2,064,000 Expected population by 2030
Minister of Finance, His Highness the Minister of Hajj, and His
Excellency the Mayor of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah. The
primary role of the DCOM is to direct the planning process in
an integrated manner, linking it to the future vision for the city MADINAH CITY COMPARED TO MILAN
and considering the city’s growth, and increasing fluctuating
population over the Hajj and Umrah periods. The DCOM
operates in cooperation with MoMRA and other government
departments. In addition, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is
a key planning actor regarding the observance of pilgrimage
dynamics, influencing the work of the DCOM. The Ministry of Population: 1,365,000
Area: 18,167 ha
Hajj and Umrah is responsible for the management of pilgrims, Density: 75.13 p/ha
ensuring the services provided during the visits are sufficient,
and controlling and documenting the religious dynamics
within the region.
The city is 620 metres above sea level, and is a part of the
Peninsula’s Hejaz Region, characterised by a longitudinal high
escarpment along the Eastern coast parallel to the Red Sea.
52
Fig. 24. Boundaries, neighbourhoods and key infrastructure
53
TH E CURR ENT CITY
1928 1965
Area:837,8 ha Area: 9, 977 ha
Population: 82,547 Population: 188,759
The city, located on a plateau at the junctions of the three In addition, and similar to Makkah, Madinah is subjected to
valleys of Al-Aql, Al-Aqiq, and Al-Himdh, is surrounded by peculiar religious dynamics, causing a significant fluctuation
deserts, volcanic fields, and mountains, which form the in the number of residents every year. Religious visitors, both
conditions for an oasis. Due to this unique topography, local, and international make up the highest portion of total
Madinah has vast green areas and fertile lands suitable for visitors, and this is directly linked to the pilgrimage trends in
agriculture. The mountains, together with valleys and wadis Makkah. Around 90% of Umrah and Hajj performers visit
are the fundamental structural elements, which define the Madinah after their journey to Makkah. According to the
city growth and identity with its numerous historic sites within Visitor Demand Projections for Hajj and Umrah Seasons, by
The Haram boundary. The boundary defines the area that is 2019 Madinah will receive 3,249,000 visitors during Hajj and
off-limits for non-muslims, similarly to the one established in 5,757,000 over Umrah.38 Both estimations include both foreign
Makkah. and in-country Hajj and Umrah performances, as well as
authorised and unauthorised Hajj. According to the KSA Ninth
The city has a radial structure, extending from the central Development Plan produced in 2004 (1425H), the number of
Prophet’s Mosque to the surrounding valleys. The concentric unauthorised Hajj39 visitors is estimated to be approximately
Ring Roads form essential structural elements in shaping 18% of the total number of authorised Hajj pilgrims.
the urban form of Madinah, starting with the 1st Ring Road
enclosing the holy area surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque. Urban growth patterns
According to the last Saudi census that was undertaken in 2010 Madinah’s location and topography have fundamentally
(1429H), the city of Madinah hosts a permanent population been impacting both the identity of the city and its expansion
of 1,385,192 people, spread over a built-up area covering trends. Madinah’s original features are linked to it being a
44,800 hectares, with an average population density of 30.9 desert oasis, and the consistent presence of farms in some
p/ha. In comparison to similar cities, which have followed a older parts of the city demonstrate this. Traditionally, Madinah
radial development pattern from the city centre (e.g., Milan was developed as a radial structure, with the Haram area
in Italy), the built-up area of Madinah is more than twice as expanding from the central Prophet’s Mosque in the centre to
large, while the density is consistently lower, even though the the surrounding cities. While the mountains have historically
population is almost the same as in Milan. constrained Madinah’s growth, the city has recently been
expanding along the valleys to the North, South, and East.
The age-related pattern of demographic distribution in
Madinah shows a high percentage of young residents, as Prior to the year 1928, urban development in Madinah was
nearly 73% of the population is below 34 years old. The mostly concentrated around the Prophet’s Mosque, within
growth rate of the city is 2.9% per year, which means that by the 1st and 2nd Ring Road, where a significant part of the
2030, Madinah’s population is expected to reach 2,064,000 unplanned areas is currently concentrated. Between 1965 and
people. However, as the estimation only accounts for regular 1989, the city expanded further to the West and Southeast,
residents, pilgrims who illegally stay on after their Umrah and beyond the current 3rd Ring Road (King Abdullah Road),
Hajj visa expires, for work purposes, could further contribute avoiding the mountainous areas and developing towards the
to an increase in the total number. valleys. In these areas, a series of new districts were formed,
showcasing a rigid urban organisation that are very different
54
T H E C U R R E N T CI TY
1989 2002
Area:11,559 ha Area:19,419 ha
Population: 500,043 Population: 1,027,943
2015
Area:34,896 ha
Population: 1,385,192
Urban Growth Stages
Before 1928 2015
Fig. 25. Urban growth pattern
55
TH E CURR ENT CITY
from the traditional urban fabric. In 1988, another expansion transportation, the KEC will add an increasing commuting
trend emerged and has persisted till today. Over this period pressure on the current infrastructure.
considerable extensions to the Northeast characterised
development expansions, including the construction of the On the whole, Madinah is facing the emergence of leapfrog
airport in 2012. The appearance of new nodes along this development, with the rise of scattered urbanisation pockets,
expansion axis facilitated the urban development to the East, detached from the main urban fabric. These development
along one of the major transport axes to Riyadh. islands are spread beyond the 1450 boundary, mostly to the
Northeast of the city, beyond the airport, and to the South
Along with consistent urban growth, the characters of more along the wadi. These satellite developments are quite distant
traditional development patterns and housing typologies from the city, thus increasing sprawl and lacking appropriate
changed substantially. Due to the city’s increasing demand in services and facilities.
accommodating both resident and floating populations, the
construction of a series of high-rise buildings within the 1st Since 1928, the Madinah area increased by almost 42 times,
Ring Road began, shifting Madinah’s skyline and changing while its population has grown only 17 fold over the same
its urban patterns. period. The number of pilgrims coming to Madinah has
been increasing over the years, and it will keep rising in
The current urban growth pattern is characterised by alignment with Vision 2030, bringing new challenges to the
expansion along the main transportation axis irradiating from city to accommodate the pilgrims and to provide them with
the central area towards the valleys. New structural elements sufficient services and infrastructure. The graph below shows
as the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International that the number of pilgrims still expect to follow increased
Airport, the Al-Haramain train station, as well as other trends after 2018. According to the Al Madinah Tourism
services such as new educational facilities, act as additional Development Plan, 1425H (2004), the forecasted total
nodes, catalysing and supporting the city’s expansion and number of pilgrims arriving in Madinah will be 14,792,000
densification along to the Northeast, and bringing new by 2040. This also means that Madinah still has a substantial
development in Madinah’s Eastern municipalities. One of the need to increase the capacity of the Prophet’s Mosque to host
main projects currently being implemented is the Knowledge the expected number of worshippers, as well as considering
Economic City (KEC), which follows the current expansion scenarios for the future expansion of the Mosque, in addition
patterns. Once completed, without any provision of public to the Haram Plaza.
Madinah
222 sqm/capita
UN Standard
66.67 sqm/capita
© Shutterstock
Fig. 26. Land allocated per capita
56
© Osama ©
Bhutta
FSCP
The Haram Plaza near The Prophet’s Mosque is the most important public space in the city
57
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.1.2 Administrative boundaries
To address the issue of urban sprawl and improve the efficiency kilometres and, following the same rationale, it will take
of urban management, in 1406H (1986), the Kingdom of more than 70 years to fill it at the recommended UN-Habitat
Saudi Arabia established Urban Growth Boundaries for all densities.
cities. Following the decree, Madinah has three existing Urban
Boundaries: Finally, the total area delimited by the DPB is 1,890 square
kilometres. Again, to fill-up this area at the UN-Habitat
• Urban Growth Boundary established to contain the recommended density of 150 p/ha with the current growth
development up to the 1435H rate, would take more than 100 years to develop.
• Urban Growth Boundary established to contain the
development up to the 1450H Interestingly, the potentially developable land within the 1450
• The Development Protection Boundary, which works to UGB, which function should be to limit the city expansion up
limit city expansions, and also defines the limit of the to the year 2030 (1450H), amounts to 213 square kilometres.
Amanah jurisdiction over the neighbouring rural areas This means that by applying the same principles to the available
and satellite developments. vacant land within the 1450 UGB, this would have the capacity
to accommodate 862,900 people, covering the growing needs
Additionally, within the 1450H boundary, the city has set a for the next 35 years, as calculated at the current growth rate
Haram Boundary, similar to the one established in Makkah. and in reference to the UN-Habitat recommended density.
This area occupies the central part of the city between the
mountains and cannot be accessed by non-Muslims.
In Madinah, the 1450 UGB total area is 682.27 square

kilometres, exceeding the current urban footprint by 234
square kilometres. In order to fill-up the available area
between the urban footprint and the 1450 UGB at the UN-
Habitat recommended density of 150 p/ha, and considering
the current growth rate, it would take more than 75 years to
develop it. Whereas the 1435 UGB has an area of 673 square
© FSCP
Spatial frictions between the new residential areas and the existing green spaces in the city
58
Development Protection Boundary

under Madinah jurisdiction
1,890 KMHA
189,000 2
68,227 HA
67,316 HA
44,800 HA
Fig. 27. Administrative boundaries
59
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.1.3 Urban density
According to the last census in 2011, Madinah’s population was • Hotel Accommodation – available for Umrah performers and
1,385,192, with a growth rate of 2.9%. The floating population Hajj pilgrim accommodation;
(pilgrims/visitors) in the same year was 9,006,000, adding a • Licensed Seasonal Residential Rooms – provided for Umrah
significant contribution to the total population number. performers and Hajj pilgrims through pre-registration.
Inhabitants are mainly concentrated within the 3rd Ring Road, Hotels are a major component of the land use pattern within the 1st
approximately five kilometre radius distance from the Prophet’s Ring Road. The hotel area occupancy rate is 100% on the land that
Mosque. This area used to be a traditional urban core, with an old is not occupied by the Prophet’s Mosque. Nearly half of Madinah’s
and rich Islamic fabric. The central area was densely populated, hotel rooms are located within the 1st Ring Road, or in very close
but with new development trends and the increasing demand to proximity to it. Hotel accommodation is also prevalent along major
accommodate pilgrims has caused radical changes in the traditional corridors with direct access to the Haram. The rest of the hotel rooms
urban pattern, especially within the 1st Ring Road. Most of the are distributed between the 1st Ring Road and the 3rd Ring Road.
vernacular urban pattern was demolished in order to increase the
city’s hosting capacity by constructing high and medium rise hotels, As is shown in the figure 29 the central area within the 2nd Ring
and other accommodations. This operation radically transformed Road is also the most populated with an average density more
both the spatial and use patterns in the city centre, moving than 250 p/ha, the density of the adjacent areas within the 3rd Ring
away from the traditionally mixed-use, human-scaled fabric, and Road varies from 150 to 240 p/ha. The density analysis shows that
threatening the historical way of life and vibrant spirit of the area. these central areas with the densities above 150 p/ha which fit the
UN-Habitat recommendations occupy just 5% of the total built-up
As mentioned earlier, the floating population in Madinah is directly area but accommodates 39% of the total population. Unbalanced
related to the visitors who perform Hajj and Umrah in Makkah, as distribution of services for visitors has generated socio-spatial
most of the pilgrims continue their holy journey from Makkah to polarisation and inequality in the distribution of services and facilities
Madinah to visit the Prophet’s Mosque. Visitor Demand Projections between the urban core and the periphery, as the majority of the
during Hajj and Umrah Seasons for Madinah predicts 12,346,000 visitors stay in the central area within the 1st Ring Road, which is the
visitors by 2040 (1462H), which will add additional pressure on area that is best served.
the current central infrastructure. The current typologies of visitor
accommodation can be divided into two categories:
© Shutterstock
Lively pedestrian street leading towards The Prophet’s Mosque
60
Residents:
1,385,192
Residents + Visitors:
13,640,192
Average population density:
30.9 p/ha
1 - 20 p/ha
21 - 60 p/ha
61 - 100 p/ha
101 - 140 p/ha
141 - 251 p/ha
252 - 350 p/ha
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
351 - 424 p/ha
Fig. 28. Current distribution of population density
Average density UN-Habitat

recommendation:
150 p/ha
1 - 39 p./ha
40 - 89 p/ha
90 - 149 p./ha
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km 150 - 240 p/ha
+ 250 p/ha
Fig. 29. Distribution of population density recommended by UN-Habitat
61
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.2 Structuring Elements
4.2.1 Natural and topographic elements
The city of Madinah has the three key natural elements identity as well as the city’s traditional economic activities, is
influencing its structure and urbanisation patterns: a the network of wadis and their watersheds, or blue network.
mountainous topography, the wadi system, and the Five wadi cross through Madinah: Wadi Al-Aqiq, Wadi Al-
agricultural landscapes. These natural elements should be Aqoul (also known as Wadi Qanat or Wadi Sayedna Hamzah),
preserved and enhanced, and considered one of the priorities Wadi Bathan, Wadi Manzoor, and Wadi Ranounaa. Madinah’s
for the future vision, as they are critical assets for the city’s wadis vary in forms and depth, but they are all almost dry
sustainable development. year-round, except during the period of intense rainfall, which
often causes flash-floods because of the sporadic and intense
Topography precipitation and the low absorption rates.
The topographic structure of Madinah is one of an oasis
surrounded by stoney mountains, ranging from 800 to 1500 Agricultural landscapes
metres in elevation, with the Al-Waira mountain being the Due to the unique topography of the area, Madinah has
highest, followed by the Uhud mountain at 1087 metres a significant number of agricultural land, equal to about
above sea level. The area slopes from East to West till the Al- 23.3 % of its total area. Both the Wadi system and the
aqiq valley, sloping from South to North. In the Western and agricultural land are part of Madinah’s heritage, as the city
Southwestern direction, the surfaces are mostly composed of originally developed as a strategic agricultural centre, where
volcanic rocks. The city itself covers an area about 448 square the caravans were stopping along the trade route between
kilometres and is situated on the flat plateau at the junction Yemen and Damascus to rest and replenish their food
of the three valleys Al-Aqoul, Al-Aqiq, and Al-Himdh, at 620 reserves. Though, the agricultural lands are the elements of
metres above the sea level. Due to this unique geographical historical significance, during the last few decades Madinah
location and topographical conditions, Madinah has a particular has been increasingly subjected to rapid loss of agricultural
microclimate, which is suitable for agricultural activities. land, especially within the consolidated city. This underlines
the need for immediate actions for the preservation of
The wadi system these elements and their better integration with the urban
Another significant element contributing to shape the city’s structure and functions.
© Shutterstock
There is still agriculture activity in Madinah city’s outskirts
62
12
1
1450 UGB
13 HARAM
Agricultural lands
Wadi basins
Secondary basins
Contour lines
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
1. 2. 3.
Unique topography Vernacular agriciltural patterns The system of wadis
Fig. 30. Natural and topographic elements
63
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.2.2 The Prophet’s Mosque and the

associated tourist dynamics
According to historical data, the area was constituted by of the Comprehensive Plan for Makkah, Madinah, and Al
scattered settlements surrounded by groves of date-palms Mashaer propose further crowd management measures by
and cultivated fields. creating greater pedestrian accessibility and defining civic
spaces connected to the spiritual precinct, in order to ensure
The original mosque was an open-air building, on a site safety and security of pilgrims, even in the most crowded
originally adjacent to the Prophet’s house, which, with its periods. According to the Comprehensive Plan for Makkah,
courtyard, served as the first social and religious centre of Madinah, and Al Mashaer, elaborated by the MMM Group
the early Muslim community, and as a religious school. After together with Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Planners,
the foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, the total worshipper capacity for the Prophet’s Mosque and
the Mosque underwent several major modifications, being the Haram Plaza currently stands at 1 million worshippers,
expanded several times, and passing through different stages which is nearly a 3rd of the total resident population.
of transformation. However, the last century characterised
the transformation of the Mosque with significant, rapid, The city of Madinah has a unique and very strong centrality,
and systematic expansions, due to the continuously growing being the Prophet’s Mosque, and its surrounding area,
amount of visitors and pilgrims, completing their religious influencing the whole city’s structure and functionality.
journey with the visit of the Holy Mosque. However, the spatial centrality is paradoxically more oriented
in responding to visitors dynamics than to fulfill the socio-
The modern Prophet’s Mosque, surrounded by the Haram spatial needs of the resident population. Responding to this
Plaza, although demolished and rebuilt many times, is still increasingly important issue becomes therefore key for the
situated on the original site, besides the Prophet’s house, future of Madinah.
but in order to accommodate the increasing number of
visitors, and provide sufficient prayer spaces, the Mosque
was expanded horizontally. The numerous expansions of
the Mosque can be resumed in seven stages, covering the
period from 1910 to 2011, (1328H–1432H). The largest
transformations were held in 1990 (1411H) when the
Aghawat district was demolished. In the year from 2010–to
2011 (1431H–1432H) even a larger area was “cleared” and
redeveloped as a hotel district, serving the Prophet’s Mosque.
The new district overwhelmingly supersedes the surrounding
areas and screens the Mosque’s architectural characteristics
to large parts of the city.
The new hotel district occupies most of the area within the
1st Ring Road, and it is characterised by transportation issues,
although the pedestrian domain in the central area is overall
good, The central area includes sidewalks, covered pedestrian
walkways, and some pedestrian-only areas. Nevertheless, the
pedestrian infrastructure can be extremely busy, particularly,
during peak seasons. Some of the recommendations part
64
© Wiki
Umbrellas of the Haram Plaza, The Prophet’s Mosque in the Holy City of Madinah
65
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.2.3 Major movement infrastructure
Madinah’s structural organisation is around a radial road network, The total amount of roads within the 1450 UGB is 5834 kilometres,
starting from the central area, where the Prophet’s Mosque is located, and the amount of road surface per capita is 4.2 metres, indicating
The Grand Haram, and defined by the 1st Ring Road, creates a a sufficient ratio of road infrastructure in reference to international
central focus that attracts extremely high pedestrian flows. The radial standards. Overall, the citywide road network functions well
organisation, starting in the centre and followed by concentric Ring and has a well-defined hierarchy of highways, major and minor
Roads defining different areas of the city, remains the main structural arterial roads, and collector roads. Nevertheless, because of both
feature. In addition to the Ring Roads structure, there are several minor the centralised road network structure and the massive numbers
and major arterials, functioning as radial linkages across the city and of religious visitors and their associated dynamics, Madinah faces
the different Ring Roads, in an attempt to minimise traffic disruption a challenging transportation issue, manifesting in the continuous
due to the high tourism rate. The main roads defining the major street conflict between pedestrians and vehicular traffic within the central
hierarchy and urban structure are: area, and particularly within the 1st Ring Road. Another essential
aspect affecting Madinah’s overall movement structure is the limited
• The 1st Ring Road, King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Road, circling around accessibility to the historical sites, currently openly accessible by
the Haram area and the heart of the city, which is 5 kilometres private cars and syndicate busses. The most congested streets (figure
long; 32), especially during the peak seasons, are the arterial roads leading to
• The 2nd Ring Road, Prince Abdulmajeed Road, which defines the main entrances of the city: Omar Ibn Alkhattab Road, also known
an area characterised by a traditional urban pattern and dense as the old Jeddah-Madinah Road, the Airport Road, also leading to
population; Riyadh and Al Qassim, and the King Abdulaziz Road. Since the Haram
• The 3rd Ring Road, Amir Abdullah Road, about 27 kilometres Plaza has recently increased its hosting capacity, these movement issues
long, which defines a densely populated urban area, where are predicted to become more substantial without the appropriate
density is overall higher than in any other areas of the city. development of an efficient public transport system, and an increased
• The 4th Ring Road, King Khalid Road, situated at a further pedestrian-only area with sufficient public space provision. Besides the
distance from the city centre, of about 10‐15 kilometres; radial road structure, it is worth mentioning that the Al Haramain
• Omar Ibn Al Khattab Road, a main radial road extending to the High-speed Rail, which will connect the cities of Makkah, Jeddah,
Southwest, serving largely the traffic flows to/from Makkah and and Madinah efficiently,40 will become a significant structural
Jeddah. component of the overall city’s mobility infrastructure.
© FSCP
Pedestrian streets allow a better connectivity between the important landmarks in the city
66
Main roads
Al-Haramain High-speed Train
Average speed 60 km/h
Average speed 40 km/h
Pedestrian links
Existing airport
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km Existing train station
Fig. 31. Major movement infrastructure
Tourist landmark
Hotels
Main access to the city
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km Main tourist routes (pedestrian and bus)
Fig. 32. Tourist dynamics and main entrances to the city
67
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.2.4 Existing and proposed land use

patterns
Madinah’s spatial organisation is rooted in its history and role as one

element for the city, although showing signs of deterioration, and
the Holy Cities of Islam. The central areas of the city are dedicated to
the need for revitalisation. Despite the presence of a strong, green,
pilgrims, filled with hotels and commercial functions, distancing itself
agricultural backbone, the city is lacking public space and recreational
from the needs of the resident population. This means that Madinah
areas as parks, public gardens, play areas, squares etc. The increase
faces an increasing risk of its residents losing a spatial connection to
in the percentage of these kinds of elements was set as one of
the city centre.
the priorities for the future vision by the Madinah Plan, but not yet
implemented. The vacant land analysis indicates the availability of
Referring to the current land use organisation, the city showcases
12% of the overall developable land lies within the built-up area,
several monofunctional areas, segregated from each other. The mixed
which gives many opportunities for creating a network of public and
land use areas only amount to 5.2% of the total land use within the
green spaces.
1450 UGB, where the area delimited by the 1st Ring Road significantly
contributes to this percentage. The rest of the city is predominantly
New commercial centres are coming up along the 3rd Ring Road
monofunctional, consisting mostly of residential new developments,
(King Abdullah Road), following the trend of allocating retail clusters
which form an urban fabric that is very different from the traditional
along the main highways. This will further increase car dependency,
vernacular pattern. The subsequent progressive restructuring of the
negatively impacting small businesses and the local economy. Social
urban form, pushed by this kind of development made of purely
and public facilities, like the Islamic University of Madinah, Taibah
residential condominiums, is one of the reasons for the spatial
University, and some major medical and governmental services, are
monotonousness of the most recent expansions in Madinah.
mostly concentrated within the 3rd Ring Road and along the Prince
Naif Bin Abdulaziz Road. However, all the new city extensions beyond
Thanks to its topographic and climatic conditions, historically, Madinah
the 3rd Ring Road substantially lack services, which is evidence of socio-
has always been able to rely on its fertile land for agricultural uses.
economic imbalance when accessing public facilities and services. In
Although losses have occurred over the years, the agricultural land
addition, hospitals and schools located within the 2nd Ring Road are
still constitutes 23% of the total land use, equal to half of the overall
working at over-capacity, while 35% of the population is more than
area dedicated to residential land use, which is significant for a city
20-minute drive away from main public services, while the central area
of this size and denotes Madinah glorious past as major agricultural
of the city remains the main economic core.
oasis. Agricultural green axis along the wadi forms a strong structuring
© Omar
© FSCP
A.
Temporary markets represent an important economic activity for the city
68
1%
1% 1%
23.3 %
51.8 %
16.4 %
0.2 %
5.2 %
0.3 %
Residential
Commercial
Mixed-use
Industrial
Agriculture
Public facilities
Warehouses
Parking area
Open spaces
Religious
Cemeteries
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 33. Existing land use
4%
7%
11 %
12.5 % 55 %
3.6 %
1%
4.4 %
Residential
Commercial
Industrial
Warehouses
Agriculture
Open space
Mixed-use
Religious
Cemeteries
2.5 0 5 10 km
Public facilities
Fig. 34. Proposed land use according to the Madinah Plan by Amanah
69
TH E CURR ENT CITY
The Future Land Use Plan, and part of the normative components of UN-Habitat’s 5 Principles for Sustainable Urban Development41 state
the Madinah Plan, indicates the development of new residential areas that compact cities should aim at developing the recommended
to the South, along the 1450 UGB, in an area free from topographic density of 150 p/ha. According to this parameter, if UN-Habitat’s
constraints, as well as a series of satellite developments beyond recommended density is applied to the present conditions of available
the 1450 UGB and within the development protection boundary, urban space, the current amount of vacant land within Madinah could
extending to the West, East and South. The proposed new Eastern inhabit upto 3,195,000 people.
development and the Southern satellite development along the wadi
are currently under construction. Although provisions for these new By 2030, Madinah is planning to develop an additional 731 square
development areas include secondary recreational and commercial kilometres of the built-up area within the Development Protection
services, they are distant from the urban core (30-40 kilometres away Boundary, in order to accommodate an expected population of
from the city centre), encouraging urban sprawl and putting additional 2,064,000 people. Considering these numbers, the emerging average
pressure on the Madinah municipality in order to provide sufficient density on the total built-up area of the city would, at this point, be
service infrastructure for these distant developments. 28.2 p/ha, which is even lower than the current average density of
30.9 p/ha. The vacant land analysis shows that by applying the UN-
4.2.5 Vacant land Habitat recommended density of 150 p/ha, only one-fifth of the
proposed amount of built-up area would be needed to accommodate
As previously highlighted, the current amount of vacant land within the the future population. The analysis also shows that the available vacant
1450 UGB is 213 square kilometres, which is nearly 31% of the total land within the 1450 UGB has all the capabilities to accommodate
area delimited by the same boundary. This considerable amount of the expected future growth, while the land within the DPB should be
vacant land is free from any constraints and suitable for development, preserved from any development, with the exception of agricultural
which is both an opportunity for accommodating the city’s population uses.
growth and, without appropriate policies, a dangerous situation
possibly facilitating sprawled development. According to the Madinah In addition, the city of Madinah showcases nearly 12% of the total
Plan, the vacant land is already mostly planned for residential land use, UGB available vacant land as residual land, located within its urban
represented by monofunctional clusters of condominiums and low- footprint, which is equal to 23.5 square kilometres. This land could
density suburbs. These types of development rapidly configure urban be developed as mixed-use, public space, services and infrastructure
sprawl and polarisation of the urban form, making it difficult to provide for a better performance of the city, and to prevent and counteract
good access to services and facilities, as well as to job opportunities, the unsustainable sprawling trend and of forming monofunctional
thus, increasing the car dependency of eventual residents. suburbs and satellite developments.
3%
(2,100 ha)
31%
(21,300 ha)
4%
(2,350 ha)
62%
(44,800 ha)
Built-up area
Vacant land within built-up area
Undeveloped land within 1450 UGB
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km Environmental constraints
Fig. 35. Vacant land and undeveloped area
70
© Wikimedia
New mixed use developments under construction
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4.2.6 Unplanned settlements
Unplanned areas have been a significant concern for Madinah over concludes that the lack of necessary maintenance programmes
the past decades. The majority of these areas are located within the dedicated to the upgrading of these parts of the city, together
1450 UGB. The higher concentration of unplanned settlements is with poor buildings conditions, resulted in a rapid deterioration of
located within the 2nd Ring Road, around the Prophet’s Mosque. the urban environment.
Although they represent only 4% of the total urban footprint,
they accommodate 17% of the total population. These areas are However, the urban morphology of the unplanned areas located
more densely populated than other parts of the city, showcasing within the central part of the city showcase different physical
an average density that exceeds 250 p/ha, overperforming even characteristics, presenting irregular and dense maze-like street
the UN-Habitat recommended density of 150 p/ha. networks, and parcels of different dimensions that are typical of
the traditional Islamic urban pattern. Figure 37 indicates that these
The largest percentage of the demographic is made of foreign central areas, formed at the early stage of the city’ development,
workers, who mainly occupy units located within the 2nd Ring have major historical value and tourism potential. Currently,
Road. As per 2010 (1431H) there was an estimate of 7 million though the term unplanned settlements in Madinah has been
foreign workers in Saudi Arabia (Arab News, 2010), and, per 2004 utilised to define both historical vernacular neighbourhoods in the
(1425H) census data, approximately 230,000 non-Saudi residents central areas and the underdeveloped, overcrowded and unsafe
in Madinah, comprising 24% of the total urban population.42 neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city. This current approach
has caused, or cleared the way, for massive demolitions, making
According to the recent Housing Plan study and part of the room for new hotels in historical, and/or vernacular areas of the
Comprehensive Plan for Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah (2011), city, since these neighbourhoods are not technically inscribed in
unplanned areas have inadequate municipal services, and any conservation plans.
weak public space and transportation systems, which affect the
standards of living for its residents. The analysis of the community Ultimately, the need for additional services for pilgrims and the
facilities available to residents, published by the UN-Habitat Urban continuous new developments of hotels and high-rise residential
Observatory in 2010 (1431H), indicates that that access to open buildings are deeply changing the city, causing the disappearance
space and community services significantly reduces within the 2nd of the vernacular and historical urban fabric in the central areas,
Ring Road. Districts within these areas have less than 6 m2/p of and this is indeed a threat to Madinah’s historical identity.
open space available within 500 metres of distance. The study
Population of the unplanned

areas
17 % 83 %
Unplanned area
Areas of new development
Areas with historic value
Population:
1 - 20 p/ha
21 - 60 p/ha
61 - 100 p/ha
101 - 140 p/ha
141 - 251 p/ha
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km 252 - 350 p/ha
351 - 424 p/ha
Fig. 36. Distribution of the unplanned settlements and their respective population density distribution
72
Unplanned areas within the

urban footprint
4%
(1,792 ha)
3
96 %
(42,008 ha)
2
1
Unplanned areas
Areas with historic value
Approved development projects
Slope > 30 %
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km Areas at risk (above 30% slope)
Fig. 37. Unplanned settlements with heritage potential and areas exposed to land-slope risk
1. 2. 3.
Heritage area with traditional Endangered historic vernacular Unplanned area at risk of landslope
historical urban fabrics urban pattern
73
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.2.7 Accessibility to urban cores and

facilities
Drivability
Madinah is similar to Makkah in terms of urban organisation. efficient public transport system. However, the current public
Both cities expanded radially from a centre representing the transport system is insufficient, especially when considering
respective Holy site. The road network structure is formed by the significant expected population growth and the increase
a set of three ring roads and series of radial arteries crossings in the number of expected pilgrims by 2030.
them, to distribute the access to the different neighbourhoods
of the city. The existing public transport system mainly consists of a
limited urban bus service (SAPTCO), and it leaves large room
In order to test the overall accessibility by car to the city for private taxis, whosemarket is not properly regulated. The
core, a study of the movement dynamics was performed, registered taxi companies in Madinah are few, yet there is an
assessing the percentage of population within a 15-minute informal taxi service (also called jitney) provided by private
and 30-minute driving distance. The central area around the vehicles and accounts for nearly 20% of the total daily
Prophet’s Mosque was identified as the main attraction point passenger/vehicle traffic. Amongst its recommendations, the
to measure the accessibility to the core of Madinah. Comprehensive Plan suggests to reform and regulate the
taxi services, which would better serve the low-density areas
The result of the accessibility study by private cars shows that beyond the 3rd Ring Road, currently lacking public transport
1,096,327 people have access to the city centre within a 30 connectivity and relying entirely on taxi services.
minutes drive, which is nearly 79.1% of the total population,
while 959,617 people have access to the central area within Unlike in Makkah, visitors influxes to Madinah are frequent
the 15-minute drive, which is the 69.3 % respectively. The throughout the year, with peak times being Ramadan and the
analysis indicates that Madinah has very good access, as days before and after Hajj, but more or less constant over the
more than half of population resides at a 15-minute driving rest of the year. As such, Madinah needs more sustainable,
distance from the centre, and nearly the whole city is under long-term solutions to service the estimated total population,
30-minute drive. This indicates that the city has an adequate (resident and floating).
provision of road infrastructure, with a well-defined hierarchy,
that also indicates great potential for the development of an
30.7% 69.3%
15-minute - 959,617 p
20.9% 79.1%
30-minute - 1,096,327 p
15-minute driving distance

from the Prophet’s Mosque
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
from the Prophet’s Mosque
Fig. 38. Driving accessibility to the Prophet’s Mosque
74
© Shutterstock
King Fahd Road to the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid An-Nabawi)
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TH E CURR ENT CITY
Walkability
Though the hierarchy of roads in Madinah is well-defined, • The area located along the 3rd Ring Road, King Abdullah
the pedestrian connections remain insufficient. To evaluate Road, to the North of the Prophet’s Mosque, showcasing a
the dynamics of accessibility to the city cores by walking concentration of commercial areas with several shopping
distance, three main urban cores were identified based on the malls. The analysis shows that 22,783 people have access
concentration of facilities and services: to this area within a 5-minute walking distance, equal to
1.6% of the total population, while 40,203 people can
• The central area within the 1st Ring Road around the access it within a 10-minute walking distance, equal to
Prophet’s Mosque, where the high rise hotels and various 2.9% of the population.
commercial functions are located. The accessibility analysis
was carried out by considering the main concentration of Overall, the analysis highlights how the pedestrian domain is
the commercial and mixed-use functions, assuming that more developed within the central area of Madinah, because
the actual city centre is a purely religious location. The of the well-defined and better-structured system of pedestrian
analysis shows that 49,729 people have access to this connections, while other urban cores should be more
area within a 5-minute walking distance, which is equal integrated with the rest of the city, and be more accessible for
to 3.6% of the total population, while the same areas is its citizens.
accessible to 109,600 people within a 10-minute walking,
equal to 7.8% of the population.
• The concentration of commercial functions along King

Abdullah, the 3rd Ring Road Road, to the West of the
Prophet’s Mosque. This area consists of several markets,
shopping malls, and small stores. The analysis shows that
19,181 people have access to this area within a 5-minute
walking distance, equal to 1.4% of the total population,
and that 45,086 people can access the same area within
a 10-minute walking distance, equal to 3.3%.
© FSCP
Pedestrian dynamics at The Haram Plaza next to The Prophet’s Mosque
76
13
11
2

from the city centres
from the city centres
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
1. 2. 3.
The central area within the 1st Ring Road Area along King Abdullah, the 3rd Ring The area located along the 3rd Ring Road,
Road road, to the West of the Prophet’s King Abdullah Road, to the North of the
Mosque Prophet’s Mosque
Fig. 39. Driving accessibility to the commercial city centres
77
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.3 Assessment of Future Plans

4.3.1 The Comprehensive Plan of Al
Madinah Metropolitan Area
In 2008, the Development Commission of Al-Madinah Al- Amongst the main innovations, there is the introduction of the
Munawwarah, now known as the Madinah Development concept of Nodes and Corridors, aimed to rebalance density
Authority, appointed a team formed by the MMM Group Limited distribution and to provide opportunities for a targeted investment
and Moriyama and Teshima Architects to prepare a 30 year intended to trigger economic development. The proposal was
Comprehensive Plan for Madinah. supported and integrated by a public transit system, to improve
the overall connectivity and accessibility. The plan also focuses
In addition to an overall future vision for the future development on the revitalisation of unplanned areas, establishing green
of Madinah, the plan provides key recommendations for different and pedestrian infrastructure, integrated with the others city’s
technical aspects, combined into detailed sector-based reports: environmental features. Overall the plan is well-structured, and
developed around three main characteristics:
• Economic Development and Investment;
• Environment; • Broad in extent – the plan covers the entirety of an urban area, from
• Expansion of the Holy Mosques; the rural fringes through to the central area;
• Land Use; • Broad in scope – the plan encapsulates all aspects that structure
• Approved and Proposed Development Projects the urban form, from the geology of the landscape to the water
(Megaprojects); infrastructure servicing the various neighbourhoods;
• Housing Plan; • Broad in timeline – the plan provides direction for a long-term
• Community Facilities Plan; temporal horizon covering 30 years; and
• Transportation Plan; • This means that while the plan is well-structured and detailed, it
• Infrastructure Plan; still maintains a certain degree of flexibility that can help in its
• Urban Development Regulations; and incremental implementation.
• Urban Design and Architectural Guidelines.
© FSCP
Iconic view on The Uhud Mountain
78
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Proposed green network

Proposed pedestrian pathways
Proposed public
transport network
Fig. 40. Comprehensive Plan for the Madinah Metropolitan Area with the proposed public transport and green network
79
TH E CURR ENT CITY
Metro Line Phase I: 34 km and 20 stops Metro Line Phase II: 22 km and 19 stops
27.6 % 41.3 %
PEOPLE SERVED BY PHASE I PEOPLE SERVED BY PHASE II
5-minute walking distance 5-minute walking distance
184,231 - 13.3 % 155,142 - 11.2 %
10-minute walking distance 10-minute walking distance
382,313 - 27.6 % 72.4 % 299,201 - 21.6 % 58.7 %
City wide accessibility metro lines City wide accessibility metro lines
4.3.2 Public Transport Accessibility Analysis
According to the above-mentioned Comprehensive Plan, the city of the North to the West of the city, connecting the airport and
Madinah is planning to build an intermodal Smart Mass Transport the Al-Haramain train station, and crossing the central part of
System by the year 2020. The intermodal proposal includes three the city to the North of the Prophet’s Mosque. Following our
Metro lines, two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, four Express Bus Routes, analysis, this line will serve 27.6% of the existing population
and seven Feeder Bus Routes. within a catchment area considered over a 10-minute
walking distance.
The proposed Smart Transport System would have a significant impact • Blue Line (Line II): Will be running for 22 kilometre, from
on the city’s mobility patterns, facilitating economic development in the North to the new development areas in the South,
intermodal nodes, ensuring better access to education, jobs, and passing through the central area to the West of the Prophet’s
public services, reducing energy consumption and environmental Mosque. Following our analysis, this line will serve 21.6% of
impact related to mobility. In November 2013 the Saudi Government the existing population within a catchment area considered
approved the project of the metro which, following the plan, will be over a 10-minute walking distance.
built in eight years. The proposed metro system is a high capacity • Red Line (Line III): Will be running for 40 kilometre, from the
urban transport infrastructure that aims to form the backbone around Western area where several new developments are located
which the rest of the public transport network will be organised. This to the Eastern side of the city, crossing the central area to
new metro system is a part of an ambitious plan initiated over the past the East of the Prophet’s Mosque. Following our analysis,
few years by Saudi Arabia to utilise 100% of public funding to develop this line will serve 23.5% of the existing population within
and modernise its transport infrastructure. The project committee was a catchment area considered over a 10-minute walking
led by the same Governor of Madinah, Prince Faisal Bin Salman. distance.
The new Metro System, expected to be opening in 2020, will be Overall, about half of the total current population would gain
implemented in two phases, covering a total path of 95 kilometres in access to public transport thanks to the implementation of the
length, of which 25 kilometres is underground and 48 kilometres over foreseen metro system, without even considering the BRT lines,
the surface, through a Green, a Blue, and a Red line: the Express Bus, and the Feeder Bus routes.
• Green Line (Line I): Will be running over 34 kilometres, from
80
Metro Line Phase III: 40 km and 31 stops
55.5 %
PEOPLE SERVED BY PHASE II Al-Haramain railway 5-minute walking distance
5-minute walking distance (Madinah-Jeddah-Makkah) metro stop from metro stop
178,690 - 12.9 % Proposed metro lines

10-minute walking distance
metro stop from metro stop
10-minute walking distance
Regional transportation hubs
325,520 - 23.5 % 44.5 %
City wide accessibility metro lines
© FSCP
Vehicle and pedestrian routes leading to the heart of Madinah - The Prophet’s Mosque
81
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.3.3 Urban density scenario
Crosscutting the diagnosis of the current urban conditions and the Current Condition
approved/submitted projects proposals, FSCP operated a scenario- The current population in Madinah is 1,385,192 people, occupying
analysis for increased urban density, according to various choices. a built-up area of 44,800 hectares. This generates a population
The scenarios depict three conditions: the current situation, density of 30.9 p/ha, which is considerably low when compared to
the situation developed in line with the approved planning the UN-Habitat recommended density of 150 p/ha.
instruments, and a situation where density distribution is allocated
following the City Profile’s recommendations, and based on the Scenario 1: The Madinah Plan
UN-Habitat recommendations. According to the trends documented by the Comprehensive Plan
and the Madinah Plan provided by the Amanah, the planned
The UN-Habitat scenario is based on the Five Principles for built-up area is supposed to increase to 73,128 hectares, hosting
Sustainable Neighbourhood Planning, which are as follows: a population of 2,064,000 people by the year 2030. Even with
• Adequate space for streets and an efficient street network: the substantial increase of population, the overdimensioned
The street network should occupy at least 30% of the expansion area will substantially bring down the urban density,
land and at least 18 kilometres of street length per square which, only considering the built-up area, will be reaching 28.2 p/
kilometre, ha, demonstrating how this plan promote sprawled, low-density
• High density: At least 15,000 p/km², that is 150 p/ha or 61 development.
p/acre,
• Mixed land use: At least 40% of floor space should be Scenario 2: UN-Habitat Recommendations
allocated for economic use in any neighbourhood, The UN-Habitat scenario supports sustainable neighbourhood
• Social mix: The availability of houses in different price ranges planning for the Holy City, starting from promoting an increased
and tenures in any given neighbourhood to accommodate density, in line with the average UN-Habitat recommended
different incomes; 20% to 50% of the residential floor area density of 150 p/ha. Considering the current growth rate, and
should be for low-cost housing, and each tenure type should a consequently increased population of 2,064,000 by 2030, the
be not more than 50% of the total, additional built-up area needed to fulfill the city’s future growth
• Limited land use specialisation: This is to limit single function would only be 13,760 hectares, which is only one-fifth of the
blocks or neighbourhoods; single function blocks should proposed built-up area considered in Scenario 1.
cover less than 10% of any neighbourhood.
© FSCP
A small market place next to Sayed Al Shuhada Mosque
82
CURRENT CONDITION
population 1,385,192
built-up area 44,800 ha
average density on
built-up area 30.9 p/ha
SCENARIO 1: THE MADINAH PLAN
planned built-up area 73,128 ha
average density on
planned built-up area 28.2 p/ha
SCENARIO 2: UN-HABITAT RECOMMENDATIONS
built-up area needed
according to UN-Habitat
recommendations
13,760 ha*
vacant land needed
to accommodate
population growth
4,525 ha
average UN-Habitat
recommended density 150 p/ha
*1/5 of the built up area proposed by the Madinah Plan
83
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.4 Environmental and Climate Change The map showcases how the city DPB is limiting expansion
towards the Southeast, where the MMN line and the volcanic
Risk Implications
area are, as well as towards steep slopes, also avoiding
proximity to the existing faults. This is important as it prevents
4.4.1 Encroachment on natural topography
possible risks related to seismic and volcanic activities. The
map of the built-up area also shows how the city is nestled
Madinah City is located in a very prominent landscape
between the foothills of the surrounding mountains, which
surrounded by mountains, wadis, and agricultural fields, but
occupy 28% of the land in the city, and that development has in
is also characterised by the presence of volcanic cones, fault-
many cases encroached these foothills. The spatial implication
lines, and craters. All these significant natural elements need
of this encroachment is the intensification of the natural
to be protected and considered as important constraints for
flow of stormwater flowing down into the city, increasing
the existing urban area and its future growth, by demarcating
the risk of flash floods. Additionally, many residential areas
suitable areas for development that does not encroach on
have been built alongside and within the waterbed of some
them and influence construction standards in their proximity.
traditional natural waterways, which is shown by the fact that
in Madinah, many of the streets lie over ancient wadis and
Because of the articulated topography, the whole area presents
minor natural waterways.
steep slopes. In order to protect the mountainous surfaces,
preventing construction on possibly prone-risk surfaces, and
This exemplifies how the city has lacked adequate regulatory
to maintain the overall landscape’s characters, appropriate
development in relation to its natural environment. The
development criteria should be set in place in relation to the
inappropriate urbanisation of these natural elements hinders
topography. As such, areas with slopes lower than 20-30%
their ecological functions, contributing to the pollution of soil
could allow development to take place, whereas on areas
and water resources, and affecting biodiversity. It also triggers
reaching 30% slope a series of restrictions should be detailed,
risks towards the population in various ways, from flooding to
and on areas with slope higher than 30-40% development
general health. Taking into account the increasing population
should not be allowed. In order to spatially identify the different
growth in Madinah, regularising development on hillsides and
constraints, slopes higher than 30% have been mapped along
along wadis through buffer zones and integrative ecological
with volcanic cones and fault lines in figure 42, including the
planning will help to protect natural resources and the
600 kilometres long Arabian Shield uplift going from Makkah
environment in general, but will also improve aspects related
to Madinah to Nafud, and known as the MMN Line.
to safety and quality of life for the residents.
© Wikimedia
Desert landscapes are part of the environmental system of the city
84
Volcanic line
Agricultural areas Wadis to be protected Makkah-Madinah-Nafud The Prophet’s Mosque
Built-up area High-speed train railway Volcanic cones Existing airport
Slope > 30 % Fault lines Prevailing wind Existing train station
Fig. 41. Environmental elements and topographic constraints
85
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.4.2 Loss of agricultural land
Due to the natural topography, rainfall tends to move directly by protecting the wadis and the agricultural land wherever
towards the centre of Madinah flowing along the wadis it is possible, and integrating, both spatially and functionally,
crossing the city. As described in the previous sections, these these elements with the urban fabric will help re-establishing
wadis provide high-water table levels and highly fertile soil that a better balance and a positive interaction between the built
allow the development of agricultural land, which accounts and the natural environment.
for 8% of the land within the consolidated city. However,
several plans, including the Regional Plan, have proposed the Such interactions can be restored starting with prohibiting
conversion of agricultural land to residential, and other land development on land that is suitable for agriculture and
uses43 . Fertile and productive cropland in the Kingdom is rare, in parallel promoting more sustainable ways of irrigation,
and the loss of this resource is irreversible. The Normalized like drip irrigation systems, which are highly efficient in arid
Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) study, part of the climates with high evapotranspiration factor. In comparison
Comprehensive Plan and based on a comparison of vegetated to surface irrigation42 systems, which are the common
areas (agricultural fields and green spaces) between 1985 and practice, up to one-fourth of the water used to irrigate the
2010, highlighted that Madinah has lost approximately 8.553 same crops can be saved by using drip irrigation. Another
hectares of vegetated areas and gained 1367 hectares of way of promoting and reinstating these linkages is through
newly vegetated areas, with a final net-loss of 7.186 hectares a strategy envisaging the implementation of a system of
(287ha/year). multifunctional public space along the wadis. Not only would
this approach improve the quality of life but also help to
In order to understand these dynamics, the wadis, the reduce the increasing temperatures due to climate change
agricultural land, and the net-loss of vegetated land have been and concrete development while providing a substantial
mapped. Figure 43 illustrates how the agriculture development increase in public space in the city. Currently, only 1% of the
is traditionally located along the wadis, contributing to the city’s land is devoted to public space, which is way below the
linkage of the blue-green networks which, in turn, enhance recommended standard of 9m2/person. Ultimately, promoting
the landscape productivity of Madinah. The map also shows such interventions could improve the overall walkability in
how the majority of the net-loss of vegetated areas is related the city, creating continuous, walkable, and green elements
to existing agricultural land. It is paramount for the future crossing the city and connecting the different neighbourhoods,
development of the city that the importance of protecting and reducing car-dependency, decreasing pollution, and promoting
enhancing both the blue and green natural infrastructure is a healthier urban environment. This is quite an important,
understood, not only because of increased productivity but given the fact that the government’s General Environmental
also as a natural protection measure against risks such flash- Law and Rules for Implementation recognise fuel combustion,
floods or droughts. Development should be managed with the along with industrial zones and widespread small industries in
goal of preserving and restoring these natural features, as to urban areas, as a major source of emissions, which are almost
maximise the benefit of such a rich and fertile environment in 66% of carbon monoxide and 50% of hydrocarbons and
an otherwise arid region. Reinforcing these natural systems nitrogen oxides.44
1. 2. 3.
Agricultural land and current Agricultural land and emerging Unplanned area at risk of flooding
urban pattern new development
86
3
2
Wadis to be protected
Wadis buffer zone / 100m
Existing agriculture land
Loss of vegetaded land 1985-2010
Area of study of vegetated land
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 42. Loss of vegetated land from 1985 to 2010
8% 1%
28 %
63 %
Agricultural lands
Mountains
Public space
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km Built-up area
Fig. 43. Topography and green spaces
87
TH E CURR ENT CITY
4.4.3 Loss of freshwater
The climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia result in water waterways, which limits their infiltration and bearing capacity,
scarcity, with an availability of less than 1,000 cubic metres has resulted in increasing floods in the city. Assuming an
of water per person per year, and reduced green cover. The average impervious surface ratio of 40% for the entire city,
environmental features previously described coupled with the approximately 3.5 million cubic metres of rain falls on Madinah
unsustainable urbanisation and inadequate infrastructure are every year that is not captured or stored for use.47
putting pressure on the already limited water resources. Due to
this constraint, a big percentage of water consumption comes The existing stormwater drainage system has proven to be
from desalination plants. However, it is important to notice inadequate for dealing with the increased inflows of water
that in Saudi Arabia more than 80% of greenhouse emissions due to deficient design and lack of maintenance. This is having
come from the energy sector, out of which desalination large impacts on the vulnerability level of the population.
processes represent 12% of CO2 emissions.45 Shifting An estimation of affected areas and infrastructure has been
current growth trends and consumption patterns in order to performed and mapped, based on a buffer zone of 100m
incorporate natural water features and ecosystems dynamics to the wadis, (a more detailed study is required). As per the
is fundamental to make better use of existing resources and analysis, the figures that are indicating flood-risk areas are as
prevent pollution. follows:
Also in Madinah, the freshwater supply comes from two • 32% of existing road infrastructure,
sources: • 10% of the built-up area,
• 30% of the proposed development, and
• Desalination plants located on the Red Sea coast, and • 70% of the unplanned areas.
• Groundwater wells from shallow aquifers, contributing • This implies a big threat to the city’s socio-economic
with 14% of the total water supply. resilience.
Groundwater sources have been used at unsustainable rates, Another challenge for the city regarding water management,
which means that aquifers are being depleted faster than concerns drinking and waste-water systems, which present a
they can be recharged. The current use-patterns are affecting significant water loss and severe water leakage rates, and is
the overall renewable water resources per capita, which are estimated to be between 27-30%,48 with the efficiency of the
dropping at an annual rate of 2%,46 due to both unsustainable current water network estimated to be around 59%. This not
consumption and increasing population growth. Water only implies the pollution of soil and groundwater resources
demand is outpacing supply, and with local aquifers being but also generates an increasing problem in Madinah, the
depleted by development. Madinah will increasingly be Shallow Water Table Rise (SWTR). The central area is especially
required to fully rely upon costly desalinated water imported affected by this phenomenon, and the social, environmental,
from the Red Sea. and structural risks that result from SWTR are a major concern.
This phenomenon is also increased by the large underground
In figure 45 water infrastructure, including the stormwater parkings that were built in the last expansion of the Mosque.
system of the city along with the existing dams, has been The underground barriers most likely blocked water flow in
mapped. The map shows that the city centre is equipped with the area which contributed to its uprising.49
underground drainage, whereas the rest of Madinah has open
canalisations. Still, a large part of the urban area is not yet Ultimately, all the features presented above highlight the
covered with stormwater drainage. Through mapping the urgency for a better water management approach, based
water network, it appears clear that the high number of wadis both on improved infrastructure and on the promotion
that have been canalised because of urbanisation. Not only of a different development approach, aimed at better
does this reduce the possibility of recharging water tables or incorporating the natural system of wadis and minor water
reusing water for irrigation of public spaces and agriculture, flows within the city. It is clear that natural dynamics play a
but it also increases flood-risk, if not well planned. In spite key role in our built environment, and strongly impacts the
of the little rain in Madinah, storms are becoming stronger city and its inhabitants. Therefore, they ought to be integrated
due to climate change, increasingly generating flash-flood into decision-making processes in order to increase infiltration,
episodes. During these events, wadis that remain dry most of facilitate water recharge, promote green areas, make efficient
the year are rapidly filled beyond their capacities. This, coupled use of resources, reduce flood risk, and increase resilience.
with the encroachment and impermeabilisation of the natural
88
Identified flooding areas
Water tables
Storm water underground drainage
Open water canalisations
Existing agricultual lands
Existing dams
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 44. Water infrastructure with identified flooding areas
Unplanned areas at risk
Existing built-up at risk
Proposed built-up at risk
Infrastructure at risk
Unplanned areas
Current built-up area
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 45. Existing and proposed areas at flood risk
89
90
5 STRATEGIC DIAGNOSIS
© Tevfik Teker
STR ATEGIC DIAGNO S IS
5.1 Identifying and Defining Main Strategic Issues
The in-depth, evidence-based analysis brought to light four main strategic, interrelated issues highlighting Madinah’s performance
in relation to the principles of sustainable urban development. These issues represent the strategic framing of a complex diagnosis,
synthesised through four conceptual lenses. The lenses, once defined in their conceptual nature, were then contextualised by
examining how they manifest spatially in Madinah, at different scales. They are synthesised as follows:
5.1.1 Unbalanced growth and development 5.1.2 Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and
patterns residents dynamics
Spatial patterns are defined by structural elements, fabric This issue is unique to cities around the world experiencing
morphology, and density distribution, and are highly influenced religious tourism. Cities such as Makkah and Madinah, over the
by land use policy. Inherently, a coherent land use policy years, have experienced sudden spikes in population density
influences spatial patterns by determining the appropriate due to the dynamics of religious tourism connected to the
amount of land needed to accommodate future growth and Islamic calendar (referring to Hajj and Umrah). Consequently,
by distributing urban functions and densities accordingly. The the rise in property values in the areas proximite to holy sites,
combination of these attributes can either generate urban the increased requirements for high-performing infrastructures
quality or create and increase urban issues such as sprawl. during peak influx periods, and the prevalent focus of
This often happens when a city grows rapidly, presenting investments in religious-related facilities, creates two time-
an extended sprawl phenomenon, and inharmoniously dependent and contrasting urban realities This dual condition
manifesting unbalanced developments across its territorial within the same urban environment, creates an invisible but
extension. Dysfunctionalities emerge in appropriate urban perceptible barrier, on one side of which, permanent residents
management and citizens experience. In this scenario, the feel neglected, and on the other, pilgrims do not experience
city showcases low density and does not perform effectively, interaction with residents and the more permanent condition
its services and facilities are not well balanced in distribution of the city. For cities such as these, it becomes critical to create
and accessibility, and therefore citizens do not equally benefit ways to turn this divisive duality into opportunities for peaceful
from the advantages of urban life. Additionally, it is costly and coexistence, intercultural dialogue, and mutual benefits
difficult for the municipality to provide and maintain basic amongst residents and different city users.
servicesor efficient and sustainable infrastructure, such as
public transport. This is an inherent issue in conditions of sprawl
and low density as water, sewage, electricity and transport
infrastructures require extension over longer distances to reach
relatively fewer people. As such, the significant amounts of
land per capita that urban sprawl tends to consume, requires
larger capital investments for infrastructure installation and
increasing maintenance costs. The current development trends
in Madinah tend to reproduce disperse patterns of low-density
and monofunctional land use, with scarce provisions for social
activities and both empty interstitial spaces and large areas
of vacant land between existing portions of the consolidated
city. The tendency toward sprawl in requires urgent address
in order to halt progression of the condition, which is heavily
affecting the city’s functionality by reproducing unsustainable
development patterns of unbalanced growth at low-densities.
Unbalanced Growth and Developmet Patterns
1 2
UNBALANCE GROWTH AND DUAL CITY: CONFLICTUAL PILGRIMS
DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND RESIDENTS DYNAMICS
[ SPRAWL ] [ SPATIAL INEQUALITY ]
92
S T R AT E G I C D I AG NO SI S
5.1.3 Endangered historic vernacular urban 5.1.4 Socio-ecological and economic

pattern imbalance
Planning regulation systems in Saudi Arabian cities are Each city is formed by complex social, economic and ecological
currently under development within a unified framework. systems. In a sustainable city, the balance between these three
One of the challenges that will need to be addressed concerns interrelated systems is maintained and enhanced over time. If
the need for a comprehensive set of criteria that distinguish any one system is given continued preference over the others,
historical vernacular urban patterns from informal, unplanned over time, a structural imbalance will emerge that alters the
settlements. In the absence of such a regulatory framework, sustainable trajectory of the city’s growth and development. A
historical neighbourhoods in Saudi cities are being erased socio-ecological and economic imbalance is also created when
to make space for new developments. Not only does this planning decisions for the city fail to consider preservation and
endanger heritage and disrupt the sense of identity tied to management of existing natural resources, or the functional value
a historically stratified urban environment, but these new of natural assets and their territorial continuity. Planning processes
developments additionally disrupt the connectivity to the and spatial development practices that incorporate, for instance,
surrounding urban fabric, whilst alienating themselves to the integrated water-resource management, natural cycles, and more
neighbouring building typologies and established patterns. broadly, functional ecosystem services, are often undervalued
The introduction of appropriate heritage protection rules by local municipalities all over the world. Socio-ecologically
for articulated portions of the urban patterns, extended to unbalanced urban systems result in a number of threats to
streetscapes and fabric layout, will reduce risk to traditional the environment, to overall urban quality, and to the health of
urban layouts. These traditional layouts are characterised by citizens. Unsustainable consumption patterns, pollution, loss of
narrow alleyways, that excel climatically in terms of passive biodiversity and of agricultural soil, pressure on ecosystems, as
energy performances and function as vibrant public spaces well as increased subjection to natural and manmade disasters,
that generate social value. are examples of these. All of these conditions additionally carries
heavy effect on the economic performances of a city, that can
become increasingly clear over long-term observation.
Unbalanced Socio-Ecologocal and Economic Systems
3 4
ENDANGERED HISTORIC SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL AND
VERNACULAR URBAN PATTEN ECONOMIC IMBALANCE
[ HERITAGE LOSS ] [ LACK OF RESILIENCE ]
93
5.2 Analysing Madinah Four Issues in

Depth
5.2.1 Madinah’s unbalanced growth and

development patterns
Overall, the city of Madinah can meet the needs of the growing of the city and satellite developments beyond the 1450 UGB. As
residents and visitor population over the next 30 years, according to indicated in the urban density analysis, the only parts of Madinah
the forecast projections documented by the Comprehensive Plan, as currently presenting a density equal or above above 150 p/ha, are the
well as our study of the available vacant land within the 1450 UGB. central areas, which, while only representing 5% of the total built-
However, land grants and previous investment in the development of up area, accommodates 39% of the overall population, denoting the
suburban areas have resulted in scattered and sprawled development high efficiency of these areas in concentrating people and services.
patterns and incomplete and unserviced neighbourhoods. Currently,
additional new satellite developments are under construction beyond
the 1450 UGB, located around 34-40 kilometres from the city centre.
These emerging satellite developments are therefore distant from the
urban core and the majority of public and social facilities.
This kind of growth is characterised as leapfrog developments and

uncontrolled sprawl, becoming an obstacle for the efficient use of land,
and affecting delivery-capacity for infrastructure and transportation
services. These areas, being away from the city centre, will place strong
economic pressure on the Municipality to provide and maintain the
necessary infrastructure to support these future developments. In
addition, being located beyond the 1450 UGB, they encroach over the
area defined by the Development Protection Boundary of Madinah, 1.
which is to be preserved from any development, with the exception Development to the West from Madinah
in the basin of Wadi Shaib Al Hemd
of agricultural uses. This sprawling dynamic is also present within
the 1450 UGB, where fragmented and monofunctional low-density
residential clusters are scattered beyond the 3rd Ring Road (King
Abdullah Road), generating a monotonous and rigid urban layout,
mostly formed by low-rise condominiums.
Overall, these sprawling patterns increase the cost of providing public

services and, especially water. The demand-trends for water supply are
expected to grow substantially in the near future. Such urban growth
patterns can seriously hinder the sustainability of the city’s resources,
negatively impacting the agricultural assets, a large percentage of
which have already been lost over the years as a result of the extensive
subdivision of land, development pressure, and diminishing water.
Moreover, incomplete and inappropriate servicing can lead to public
2.
Development beyond Prince Mohammed
health issues and environmental degradation. Without proper control Bin Abdulaziz International Airport
of sprawl, this could lead to significant degradation of the city’s
environmental settings.
Madinah would need to counteract this sprawling and unbalanced

growth pattern, by strategically densifying within the existing footprint
and the 1450 UGB. Currently, the population density of the built-up
area is 30.9 p/ha, which is significantly lower than the recommended
density of 150 p/ha, where this level of density is one of the critical
elements for enacting the UN-Habitat sustainable neighbourhood
planning and design principles.50 The amount of developable vacant
land within the 1450 UGB is around 41% of the total area, while the
overall built-up area represents 59%.
3.
Therefore, there is considerable potential for infill densification Development to the South from
Madinah in the basin of Wadi Al Aqiq
strategies, rather than promoting new developments in the outskirts
94
12
34
km
km
34
1450 UGB
Development Protection Boundary
2.5 0 5 10 km
13
40 km
1450 UGB Built-up area Roads

Development Protection Boundary Potential developable land Satelite developments
Fig. 46. Madina’s unbalanced growth and development patterns
95
5.2.2 Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and

residents dynamics in Madinah
Visitors are coming to Madinah all the year round, therefore, unlike The fact that the highest concentration of pilgrims and visitors are
Makkah, Madinah is not particularly associated with one significant located in the central area negatively impacts road traffic congestion.
seasonal peak. However, the number of visitors is somehow influenced The more congested directions for the visitor flow leading to the central
by Makkah’s pilgrimage dynamics, as most people performing the area is on the radial roads intersecting the 1st Ring Road and within
holy pilgrimage to Makkah are likely to continue to Madinah and visit it, increasing traffic loads on the road network and creating conflict
the Prophet’s Mosque. The floating population of Madinah total to between vehicular traffic and pedestrian domain. Some physical
9,006,000 people per year with an estimated 3,249,000 over the Hajj barriers and constraints derived from the urban design settings, make
period, and 5,757,000 during Umrah. The overall floating population movement within the central area more complicated. In the attempt to
exceeds the permanent one by nearly 6.5 times.51 address these congestion issues, the Madinah Development Authority
(MDA) has recently announced that four new pedestrian tunnels will
The majority of the accommodation for pilgrims is concentrated in be built in nearby neighbourhoods, in order to facilitate access to the
the central area of the city as seen In figure 48. The central area has Prophet’s Mosque. The four tunnels should be 125 metres long and
changed over time to meet the pressure of the growing demand for include elevators, and 12 escalators to help pedestrians reach the
accomodation, linked to an increase in pilgrims, and is constantly Prophet’s Mosque without having to cross the road.52
changing. The Comprehensive Plan for Madinah estimates the total
maximum capacity for all hotels to be 59,550 visitors / beds, operating However, without an appropriate rebalancing policy for
at 71.4% of capacity. A further potential expansion of the mosque redistributing pilgrims accommodations and services over
plaza will affect the existing hotel area; thus the overall accommodation the larger city, and better integrating them with and within
provision, increasing the pressure for providing more visitors/beds. residential neighbourhoods, the pressure on the central area will
Apart from the implication of pilgrimage dynamics on the lack of keep increasing, further affecting transportation services, urban
housing for residents in the central areas, residents also lament a lack infrastructure (sewage, water supply), and the socio-spatial
of services, entertainment, and facilities in areas that are not of interest structure and dynamics of Madinah. Balancing and integrating
to the heavy pilgrims’ influx. The “Dual City” phenomenon can also residents and visitor needs is, therefore, a critical aspect for the
be associated with land use patterns, highlighted by the domination future development of Madinah.
of commercial and mixed-use functions within the central area, mainly
dedicated to accommodating the visitor’s needs.
© Wikimedia
Most of the hotels for pilgrims are located within the 1st Ring Road
96
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Hotels: Population:
1 - 5 hotels/ha 1 - 20 p/ha
6 - 10 hotels/ha 21 - 60 p/ha
11 - 15 hotels/ha 61 - 100 p/ha
16 - 20 hotels/ha 101 - 140 p/ha
21 - 25 hotels/ha 141 - 251 p/ha
26 - 29 hotels/ha 252 - 350 p/ha
351 - 424 p/ha
Fig. 47. Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and residents dynamics
97
5.2.3 Madinah’s endangered historic and

vernacular patterns
The issue of endangered vernacular pattern is quickly

becoming typical for Saudi cities with rich historical and
spiritual context, and increasing visitor/pilgrimage dynamics.
Madinah, as Makkah, significantly changed its traditional
urban model because of the recent development dedicated
to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. In the
case of Madinah, the changes can be seen within the Haram
boundary, especially within the central area around the
Prophet’s Mosque. That trend can seriously damage the city’s
identity and transform the oldest Islamic city where the first
Muslim community was established into a place with no local
spirit and culture, and no environmental assets.
In Madinah, the horizontal expansion of the area dedicated

to accommodating the pilgrims’ needs has occurred at the
expense of the oldest parts of the city, where Islamic historical
sites were located, and which have been substituted by new 1.
Vernacular pattern and emerging new
uses Today, under Vision 2030, which asks for economic infrastructure
diversification and strengthening of economies related to
tourism and culture, this might change.
A morphological analysis over three typologies of developments

and their relationship with the surrounding fabric was carried
on and is shown in Figure 49. These areas were identified
according to the criteria of visualising how different kind of
developments (residential, infrastructure, and large facilities) are
built on top or at the expense of historical and vernacular areas,
showcasing a lack of integration that manifests in profound
borderlines between the unplanned historical neighbourhoods
and the newly developed areas. The first neighbourhood
2.
Vernacular urban pattern and
shot highlights the contrast between the vernacular urban new services
pattern and the recently built service areas made of hotels and
commercial buildings. The second neighbourhood shot points
out the differences in fabric typologies between the vernacular
neighbourhood and the new residential regular patterns,
usually disconnected from the surrounding fabrics and existing
streets. The third neighbourhood shot points out the issue of
new, overdimensioned infrastructures, specifically highways,
crossing the city centre and disrupting the connectivity of the
secondary road networks and the overall urban fabric. Not only
does traditional urban patterns help to preserve local culture
and the city’s historical identity and characters, but they also
perform better in terms of climatic conditions. The destruction 3.
Vernacular urban pattern and emerging
of these unique patterns can lead to the disappearance of a new development
substantial part of Madinah’s characteristics, causing a loss for
the city and the whole country.
98
1
12
13
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
1450 UGB Emerging areas of new development
Areas with historical pattern Areas with vernacular pattern
Existing road infrastructure Built-up area
Fig. 48. Endangered historical and vernacular urban patterns and emerging areas of new development
99
5.2.4 Socio-ecological and economic

imbalance in Madinah
Madinah is different from the majority of the cities in Saudi

Arabia, as its topographical and hydrological conditions
enabled the city to have a specific microclimate and fertile land
for agricultural development. Overall, the city’s environmental
conditions and development patterns have been historically
influenced by its unique physiography and climate. As
described in Chapter 4, the most recent urban development
has also influenced the environment, negatively impacting on
urban sustainability factors, such as loss of freshwater, loss of
agriculture land, and the overall health, linkage, and continuity
of green and blue networks within the city. For instance,
sprawling urbanisation and a general increase in water
demand is raising the alarm toward the lack of freshwater,
and with the local aquifers being depleted beyond sustainable
means, Madinah will have to increasingly rely upon costly 1.
desalinated water imported from the Red Sea. Wadis encroachment
Madinah has a unique characteristic in terms of natural

elements structuring the city, which is represented by the
longitudinal axis of wadis and agricultural land crossing the
city, including traditional farms. This is a considerable asset for
the improvement of both environmental conditions, and the
maintenance and strengthening of the city’s historical identity
as an oasis. Although the agricultural land consists of 23%
of the total land use, which is equal to half of the residential
land use, the city presents an overall under-dimensioned, as
well as discontinuous and fragmented green network, that
is lacking green public spaces such as parks, public gardens,
and other types of open public areas that could complement
the agricultural-urban landscape. Unfortunately, because
of the lack of appropriate regulations, some parts of the 2.
Inadequate infrastructure
existing green system are being transformed into areas
for new development, especially in the areas closest to the
Prophet’s Mosque and the Southern part of the city. If this is
not addressed soon, unprotected agricultural land may rapidly
succumb to development pressure, as this land is usually
located on a relatively flat terrain, which is easier and faster
to develop.
Any urbanisation into fringe areas, such as hillsides, agricultural

lands, and valleys of the wadis can fragment natural spaces
and threaten Madinah’s ecosystems. However, analysing the
urban patterns in relation to the natural topography, it can
be seen that development encroachment on the hillsides is
not one of the trends causing major preoccupation, as even
unplanned areas built on slopes only represent less than 1% of 3.
the total unplanned areas. However, protecting the hillsides as Wadis encroachment by emerging new
satelite development
important city’s natural elements also needs to be considered
a priority, as they define the characters of the natural valley
where the city is located, and play a vital role of protecting
the urban environment from winds, and providing relief from
floods by guiding the stormwater towards the wadis through
natural topographic lines.
100
11
12
13
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Wadis buffer zone / 100m Secondary wadis to be protected
Built-up area Built-up area at risk Roads infrastructure
Primary wadis to be protected Unplanned settlements at flood risk Roads infrastructure at flood risk
Wadis buffer zone / 100m Loss of agricultural land Dams / traditional water management system
Fig. 49. Areas at flood risk and loss of agticultural lands
101
102
6 THE FUTURE CITY
© Osama Bhutta
C ITY’S STR ATEGIC VIS ION
6.1 Strategic Responses
After performing a strategic diagnosis, and identifying four main issues affecting the urban development of Madinah, four
strategic recommendations were identified in response. Akin to the four strategic issues, the above-mentioned four strategic
recommendations define the conceptual framing for a systemic and strategic level of solutions. Once defined in their conceptual
nature, they are developed into a more detailed description, spatially interpreted and contextualised in Madinah, at the various
scales. This is followed by a roadmap to implementation, in the form of an articulated Action Plan.
6.1.1 The Compact City 6.1.2 The Integrated City
According to the UN-Habitat principles, cities need to encourage An Integrated City is developed as a whole, presenting a well-
spatial development strategies that take into account, as appropriate, distributed level of urban services, ensuring all its parts contribute
the need to guide urban extension, prioritising renewal by planning to its function. An equitable distribution of services and functions
for the provision of accessible and well-connected infrastructure and should ensure that people of varying social classes and age are
services, sustainable population densities, and compact design. They brought together, and equally benefit from a high-quality urban
must consider integration of new neighbourhoods into the urban environment. However, integration also means that all policies,
fabric, in order to prevent urban sprawl and marginalisation. UN- projects, and proposals are considered in relation to one another.
Habitat principles emphasise the relationship between urban form In this regard, the synergies between different urban elements
and sustainability, asserting that the shape and density of cities have
should be such that the city as a whole achieves more than the
implications for the sustainable use of resources into the future, and
sum of the individual parts. In response to the diverse fragments
quality of life for citizens. Strong arguments have emerged to promote
and complex relational webs of the contemporary city, UN-Habitat
the Compact City as the most sustainable urban form. A Compact
proposes the development of context-sensitive interventions that
City is envisioned as a high-density urban settlement, characterised
address the multidimensional aspects of socio-spatial integration in
by mixed-use development, recognisable, dense, and revitalised
urban policies and practices. The lack of socio-spatial integration in
central areas, with well-distributed services and facilities (hospitals,
parks, schools, leisure, and entertainment). Establishing spatial and Madinah is multi-layered, but it’s most visible and impactful aspect
legal mechanisms, to consolidate a Compact City, should increase relate to the city’s spatial dualism between permanent residents
accessibility and walkability, therefore increasing use of public transport and pilgrims. Mechanisms for integration between different city
and public space, reducing congestion, boosting the local economy users that bring people together experiences in a shared urban
and increasing interactions across society. Policies to promote environment, is one of the strategic solutions proposed for
urban compaction involve the promotion of urban regeneration, Madinah.
the revitalisation of town centres, restraint on development in rural
and peripheral areas, promotion of higher densities and mixed-use
development, promotion of public transport, and the concentration
of urban development at public transport nodes. In this scenario, a
vibrant street life encourages people to walk or cycle more, and the
high-density and mixed-land use developments will, in a sensible
way, encourage a social mix who will enjoy close proximities to work,
home, and services. Walkability helps to reduce automobile reliance,
thus alleviating congestion, air pollution, and unnecessary use of
available natural and financial resources.. In addition, compact urban
development aims to preserve land resources and natural assets, while
increasing the efficiency of public infrastructure and transportation
services. A compact built form, supported by an efficient public
transport backbone, offers opportunities to increase densities, protect
environmental resources, and enhance accessibility to the central area
for all residents.
1 THE COMPACT CITY

[ CONSOLIDATE ]
2 THE INTEGRATED CITY
[ INTEGRATE ]
104
C I T Y ’ S S T R AT E G I C VI SI O N
6.1.3 The Historic City 6.1.4 The Resilient City
A Historic City is defined as an active human settlement, A Resilient City takes into consideration appropriate built form
strongly conditioned by a physical structure that originates and physical infrastructure to increase resilience to the physical,
from its past, and recognisable as representing the evolution social, and economic challenges that arise from depleting carbon-
of its people.53 Following this definition, it is fundamental for
based fuels and climate change. As such, a Resilient City can
historic areas to be inhabited and form a live cultural nucleus,
be defined as a sustainable network of physical systems and
with a strong urban identity. Over the last few decades,
communities,54 in which physical systems consist of both the
inner-cities and their historic districts all over the world have
been deteriorating. Saudi cities are facing high-pressure from constructed and environmental components of the city. They
development, and often, in historic cities, architectural heritage include roads, buildings, physical infrastructure, communication
has been allowed to deteriorate or eradicated to make space facilities, soils, topography, physical features, geology, waterways,
for new development, in place of conservation in historic areas. population density, etc. In sum, the physical systems act as the
Madinah, in particular, suffers from this pressure and it is losing body of the city, its bones, arteries, and muscles. Resilient cities as
most of its historic areas and their long-term residents, due explained by Godschalk (2003)55 are cities which are capable of
to radical redevelopments aimed at accommodating pilgrims, withstanding severe shock and stress without either immediate
led by a speculative real-estate approach. Responding to this chaos/damage or permanent deformation or rupture. These
scenario requires firstly the establishment of categorisation of cities are designed in advance to anticipate and recover from the
these areas, followed by precise regulatory systems for their impacts of natural or technological hazards. According to the
preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and revitalisation,
New Urban Agenda (NUA), cities need to ensure environmental
aiming not only at protecting the heritage buildings but the
sustainability by promoting clean energy and sustainable use
entire historic urban fabric, inclusive of all its elements, from
of land and resources, protecting ecosystems and biodiversity,
streetscapes to residents.
promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns,
reducing disaster risks, as well as mitigating and adapting to
climate change. These elements amount to resilience. The NUA
states that cities need to invest in the generation and use of
renewable and affordable energy, and sustainable and efficient
transport infrastructure and services. This will provide benefits of
connectivity and reduce the financial, environmental, and public
health cost of inefficient mobility, congestion, air pollution, noise
and urban heat island effects. Alongside this, a Resilient City also
supports and is mutually supported by its territorial ecosystems,
activating positive urban metabolism mechanisms, ensuring a
reliable resource supply and balanced value chains.
3 THE HISTORIC CITY

[ PRESERVE ]
4 THE RESILIENT CITY
[ PROTECT & IMPROVE ]
105
6.2 Appropriate Models for Madinah Urban

Development
6.2.1 The Compact City: Consolidating

development and densifying centres
in Madinah
The current development trends of Madinah need to be which have the potential to densify and intensify uses, and one
addressed in order to revert the current tendency towards labeled for preservation:
unbalanced growth and development patterns. Considering
the high degree of pressure exercised by religious dynamics on • Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road, with a proposed
the central areas due to the presence of the Prophet’s Mosque, density of 150 p/ha and prevailing mixed-use functions.
the Structural Plan for Madinah submitted in 2011, proposes This area is equal to 138 hectares and could accommodate
a development approach based on densification along Nodes 70,637 people, according to the UN-Habitat recommended
and Corridors to relieve some of the pressure from the city core density.
and the overall transportation system. This approach allows • Vacant land within the 3rd Ring Road to be prioritised to
distribution of density across the city and to provide opportunities be within a 10-minute walking distance from the foreseen
for targeted investment for economic development. metro stops, and be developed with the proposed density
of 200 p/ha. This area is equal to 953 hectares and could
The approach, supported by public transit, also aims to improve accommodate 416,193 people.
accessibility rather than encouraging migration to areas outside • The secondary vacant land beyond the 3rd Ring Road with
of Madinah to accommodate future growth. This would the proposed density of 200 p/ha. This area is equal to 429
incrementally create polycentrism, transforming the city from hectares and could accommodate 205,434 people.
a radial monocentric into a distributed polycentric model. • Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road should be reserved
According to this approach and our density analysis, new areas for open, public, and green spaces.
of development should be located within the 1450 UGB, as
Madinah has sufficient land to adequately accommodate future
population growth without adding new sprawling suburbs and
distant, leapfrogging satellite developments, limiting urban
sprawl, and promoting compactness and strategic densification.
As such, the envisaged nodes, linked to intermodal public
transport and located within the 1450 UGB, would become new
development clusters, acting as destinations distributed across
the city and areas for redevelopment within the urban footprint,
and become new centralities. Accordingly, the land between the
1450 UGB and the Development Protection Boundary should be
protected from any development, except agricultural.
Future development should be limited to the densification

1.
Vacant land within the 3rd Ring Road
boundary identified in figure 50, between the 3rd Ring Road, (King within a 10-minute walking distance from the foreseen
Abdullah Road) and the King Khalid Highway (4th Ring Road). metro stops to be prioritised for densification
The amount of vacant land, together with land considered as

redevelopment areas within this boundary, is 3727 hectares
(1597 hectares of vacant land + 689 hectares for approved
development, including the Knowledge Economic City and
Pilgrim City + 2127 hectares for redevelopment areas), which
would have the capacity to accommodate 1,119,977 people at
a density ranging between 150-200 p/ha. This means that the
total amount of land considered for strategic densification could
accommodate nearly twice the amount of population projected
following the Vision 2030, and, therefore, no expansion would
be required in Madinah for the foreseeable future.
2.
Figure 50 illustrates the proposed spatial principles for Areas for redevelopment within the urban footprint,
incremental strategic densification of Madinah, starting with suitable for densification and increasing public and
green spaces
the identification of four categories of vacant land, three of
106
11
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
The Prophet’s Mosque Public transport routes Reserved for open spaces
Metro lines Vacant land within 10-minute walking distance from metro stops
Primary densification limit (for density 200 p/ha)
Secondary densification limit Vacant land Secondary vacant land (for density 200 p/ha)
Existing nodes of densification Redevelopment areas Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150 p/ha)
Fig. 50. The Compact City: Consolidating development by creating and densifying new centres in Madinah
107
6.2.2 The Integrated City: Bridging the

Madinah and bringing residents and
pilgrims together
In order to achieve extensive socio-spatial integration in the city, and to actual centre. Implementing the decentralisation model allows for the
dismantle Madinah’s spatial dualism, a comprehensive series of policies distribution of the hosting facilities for visitors in a balanced manner,
and interventions need to be set in place. As a first step, a strong minimising the phenomena of the dual city. In the strategic proposal
emphasis needs to be placed on implementing the proposed public for the Integrated City, the new centralities are identified as:
transportation system, which can act as a backbone for integration, by
allowing movement, exchanges, and encounters, therefore fostering • Mixed-use nodes (with prevailing mixed-use and services-
socio-spatial integration across the city. Overall, the proposed public concentration functions);
transportation system will play a key role in fostering integration and • Commercial nodes (with prevailing commercial functions); and
connectivity amongst different parts of the city, facilitating interaction • Ecological nodes (intersection of nodes with agricultural land and
between residents and pilgrims, enhancing the pedestrian domain traditional farms).
and help to reduce pedestrian/vehicular conflicts within the 1st Ring
Road.
In order to strategically redistribute services, facilities, and job

opportunities, building on the possibilities offered by public
transport, the Integrated City strategy supports the polycentric model
envisaged for Madinah by the Comprehensive Plan. Thanks to the
implementation of the proposed metro system, the city will be able to
host higher densities, by intensifying new mixed-use centres around
transportation nodes. The development of new centralities within
the urban footprint supported by the proposed public transport
backbone will dilute the concentration of pilgrims in the central
areas, offering the opportunity for integrating new hosting facilities 1.
Al-Haramain High-speed Railway Station
within other neighbourhoods. This will contribute not only to a more
varied distribution of residential densities and mixed-use areas but,
by redistributing pilgrims’ destinations across these new centres,
highly connected by the new public transport, it will also favour social
integration and cohesion, and the mixing of residents and pilgrims
across the city.
The development of the public transport system should be introduced

both locally and as a means to strengthen connectivity amongst
Madinah and the two other cities receiving the highest numbers of
pilgrims, Jeddah and Makkah. This way, the new Al-Haramain train,
and its Madinah’s station, will not only work as a strong economic
node and new centrality for the residents, but also as an essential
linkage between the Madinah, Jeddah, and Makkah becoming a 2.
critical component for managing the pilgrim flows across the three The Prophet’s Mosque
cities in a more sustainable manner.
While strongly supporting the central area, the new centralities will
become newly distributed secondary city centres, building a multi-
polar system that embeds services and activities for both visitors and
residents. These newly developed areas will have to be diversified
in identity and character, and be developed as a complementary
element of an integrated, and polycentric system, so as to support
the diversification of local economies and bring new functions to
the city. Figure 51 represents selected areas and respective strategic
criteria for the definition of multifunctional mixed-use nodes with
good walkability and a wide range of services and accommodation
for pilgrims. These areas, marked for redevelopment, will be high
3.
amongst them connected by the system of public and green spaces Residual vacant land within the existing
encouraging pedestrian movement and relieving pressure from the footprint
108
12 11
3
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Vacant land within 10-minute walking distance from metro stops

Mixed-use nodes Public transport loop (for density 200 p/ha)
Express lines
Commercial nodes Secondary vacant land (for density 200 p/ha)
BRT lines
Ecological nodes Feeder lines Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150 p/ha)
Public transport intermodal nodes Metro lines Reserved for open spaces
Areas of new
Agricultural lands
development
Fig. 51. The Integrated City: Bridging the Madinah and bringing residents and pilgrims together
109
6.2.3 The Historic City: Preserving and

enhancing Madinah’s identity
Madinah has lost most of its historic and vernacular built form • Unplanned areas within the 3rd Ring Road, which
under the voracious pressure of speculative development, accommodate around 22% of the permanent population
especially in the areas surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque, and have substantial historical potential, as identified
which are also amongst the oldest. In order to preserve the in reference to the urban growth patterns and dated
historic identity of the city, a new regulatory system should back to 1929. These areas need a more in-depth study,
be set in place and actively adopted to protect historic and especially referring to the neighbourhoods surrounding
vernacular neighbourhoods. These are the areas where the the 1st Ring Road as they include the oldest parts of the
streetscape and the urban patterns, as well as the building city, formed around the original nucleus of Holy Mosque
typologies and the associated social structures, reflect the and incrementally expanding to the surroundings over
history of the city, its people, and both a past and present way time.
of life. Building on the strategy for Madinah Integrated City, • Areas with traditional urban patterns are located in close
the vision for Madinah Historic City proposes a preservation proximity or within the green network, which includes
and revitalisation strategy leveraging on the city historical role traditional farmlands. These areas should be actively
as a hospitable, vibrant and green religious destination. protected and integrated into a new and extended urban
green network, promoting local culture and traditions
Historically, and similarly to Makkah, Madinah residents related to agricultural activities, as well as preserving and
used to host pilgrims in their houses. In the past 20 years, enhancing the city’s historical identity as an oasis.
with the substantial increase in hotels and condominiums, a
radical change in the urban layout and the hospitality tradition
occurred. Retrieving this old custom would present the
possibility of complementing the hospitality offered by creating
small-scale accommodation options, such as “boutique
hotels” or similar, spread across historical and vernacular
neighbourhoods. Not only would this reduce the physical and
social distance between pilgrims and residents, but would also
constitute an opportunity for additional income generation
options in low and middle-class households, favouring an
incremental economic revitalisation of historic and vernacular
areas. However, differences across diverse types of settlements
need to be acknowledged, and as such, a diversified approach
to preservation, upgrading, and revitalisation needs to be set
in place following their systematic categorisation.
1.
Most of the areas in need of conservation and upgrading are Unplanned and
vernacular neighbourhoods
concentrated within the 2nd Ring Road and are considered
unplanned settlements. These parts of the city characterised
by a vernacular urban pattern, perform better in terms of
sustainability parameters such as land efficiency, urban density,
and contribution to decreasing the urban heat island effect
in the city centre. Currently, these central parts of the city
with traditional urban structure are facing inadequate service
provision and lack of integration with the rest of the city. Once
appropriately upgraded and re-connected to a comprehensive
system of public spaces and heritage sites, these areas could
become sustainable and vibrant neighbourhoods, with a rich
identity and bringing an economic contribution to the city’s
overall economy.
As such, the strategy proposes to reconsider and appropriately 2.

classify the majority of what is currently labeled as unplanned Wells and archaeological sites with the
settlements, in order to minimise the risk of losing historically traditional farmlands
significant and socio-economically valuable assets. The proposed

classification of unplanned settlements, illustrated in figure 52,
defines two types of neighbourhoods which should be preserved:
110
11
12
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Unplanned settlements Concentration of religious services

Areas with historical potential mapped in 1929 Public transport intermodal nodes
Agricultural land Public transport
Fig. 52. The Historic City: Preserving and enhancing Madinah’s identity
111
6.2.4 The Resilient City: Rebalancing

Madinah’s socio-ecological and
economic systems
The fourth strategy aims to promote the development of • Primary wadi system to be protected, re-naturalised, and
urban spatial frameworks that support the sustainable use integrated with the city’s fabric;
and management of natural resources and land, supporting • A system of small and distributed retention ponds along
the appropriate compactness and density, polycentrism, and the wadis;
mixed-use from previously illustrated strategies. The strategy, • Agricultural land to be preserved and linked to new and
aiming to rebalance how the city functions together with existing green public spaces; and
its natural features, intends to strengthen urban resilience, • Potential areas for the development of green public space
enhance resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability, at the intersection of a green network and one of the
while triggering economies of scale and agglomeration by proposed new high-density and mix-use centralities.
fostering risk reduction, food, and water security.
Although Madinah has a well-structured blue and green

network, formed by the capillary wadis system, farms, and
agricultural land, and a few public gardens and existing
parks. This becomes less consistent and more scattered when
moving from the territorial/metropolitan to the urban scale and
especially in the central areas of the city. In these areas, the green
public spaces available are currently scarce in quantity and fairly
disconnected from each other, as well as from the blue network
of wadis crossing the city. As such, the lack of green spaces
in the central areas, together with the previously mentioned
loss of agricultural land and freshwater, need to be urgently 1.
addressed. This will reduce the disconnection and imbalance Wadi Al Aqiq
amongst the social, ecological, and economic dimensions of

Madinah, thus, making the city more resilient. Accordingly,
the city needs to rebuild and strengthen its inconsistent green
network in the city centre, by converting vacant land into public
spaces, especially within the second Ring Road. An articulated
and well-linked system of smaller public spaces will need to
be set in place, targeting the areas surrounding the Prophet’s
Mosque, and accompanying the development of the new high-
density centralities. Agricultural land within the city, crossing it
from North to South, should be preserved and linked to the new
system of open, green public spaces.
Primary wadis, which carry the main water flow toward the city and
have the capacity to replenish underground water tables, will have
2.
Insufficient green public spaces within
to be protected from development encroachment, reopened, and the city
re-naturalised where possible (together with their subsidiary channels
network). This will provide opportunities for the establishment of new
linear parks across the city, and for the development of a comprehensive
pedestrian system, integrated with the blue and green networks. The
strategy also aims to reduce flood risk and facilitate water-recharge
mechanisms for the city, by distributing compact retention ponds
along and in connection to the wadi system. This approach, together
with the preservation and promotion of green areas along the wadis,
and while gradually re-establishing underground water-recharge
mechanisms, will also offer opportunities to promote urban and
peri-urban agriculture, strengthening food security and increase the
resilience of the city to floods.
The map in figure 53 showcases three types of interventions 3.

supporting the Resilient City strategy: Built-up area
112
12
13
11
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Green network
Blue network Parks Public transport intermodal nodes

Green network Agricultural land The intersection of green and mixed-use areas /
Potential places for the development of public space
Built-up area Mixed-use areas network
Retention pond Public transport Ecological node
Fig. 53. The Resilient City: Rebalancing Madinah’s socio-ecological and economic systems
113
6.3 Vision for a Sustainable Madinah
The four strategies proposed for Madinah are aligned with Overall, Madinah has the opportunity to set itself on the right
the visions and goals of the New Urban Agenda and based track towards a more sustainable urban development model,
on the three dimensions of sustainability. As such, the overall as some of the presented issues also embed opportunities
vision that emerges from the combination of the four strategic for their solutions. Implementing all of this, requires a strong
recommendations aims at structurally changing Madinah’s political will, coupled with a pragmatic approach to the city’s
urban form in order to achieve the following three aspects of socio-economic and spatial restructuring, capitalising on the
sustainability: strengths and opportunities to enhance and rebalance the
ecological, the social, and the economic dimensions, while
• Securing social equity in the distribution of wealth and preserving Madinah’s unique socio-spatial and historical
social services (social sustainability); identity.
• Keeping a stable economic growth while restructuringthe
productive system, in order to save resources and energy
(economic sustainability); and
• Maintaining safe and comfortable living environments
through lower emissions and opting for ecological
restoration and complex socio-ecological infrastructure,
that can devise basic services innovatively, (environmental
sustainability).
To enact this vision, which aims to trigger an incremental

but radical urban transformation process, it is necessary to
translate the four conceptual recommendations into a logical
and scaffolded system of actions that sets clear priorities and
builds on endogenous potential and competitive advantages.
© FSCP
Haram Plaza as an inclusive and vibrant public space
114
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Primary densificaion limit Reserved for open spaces Mixed-use nodes

Secondary densification limit Vacant land within 10-minute walking distance from metro stops
(for density 200p/ha) Commercial nodes
Metro lines Secondary vacant land (for density 200p/ha) Ecological nodes
Vacant land Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150p/ha)
Secondary nodes
Redevelopment areas Historic areas existing from 1929
Existing nodes of densification
Fig. 54. Vision for sustainable Madinah
115
6.4 Strategic Impact of the Vision on Urban

Patterns
The vision laid out for Madinah in the preceding text has direct our cities. In turn, spatial patterns determine the amount of land
and tangible impacts on the spatial organisation of the city. The supply that the city would need to accommodate future growth,
outcome of the strategic recommendations based on transit- according to a coherent land use policy.
oriented development principles can be assessed using the same
methodology that was used to analyse the current conditions. The In the case of Madinah, the identified priority is to infill the
text and maps discussed in the sections below illustrate the impact interstitial spaces and vacant land existing within the current
of this vision on the density, land use, productivity, and accessibility built-up area and the 1450 UGB. The densification strategy for
of Madinah. Madinah prioritises the increase of density along the main axis
of the proposed public transport system based on the Transit
Land Use Oriented Development principles, (TOD). In addition, a general
The spatial patterns of a city are defined by structural elements, densification strategy foresees and proposes to incrementally
fabric morphology, and density distribution. This means that densify around two new emerging urban cores within the 3rd Ring
spatial planning and land use are linked to the way a city performs Road, forming a system of new centralities.
by defining the social, economic, and environmental fabric of
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 55. Existing land use
116
14.64 % 13.13 %
0.7 % Residential
0.79 %
2.48 % Commercial
2.77 % 4.08 %
4.84 % Mixed-use
62.13 % 6.23 % 51.07 %
6.94 % Public facilities
0.12 %
0.13 % Governmental
5.36 % Open spaces
16.97 %
2.40 % Mosques
5.22 %
Agriculture
Current land use Proposed land use
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 56. Proposed land use plan by Amanah
117
Accordingly, the proposed vision for Madinah rebalances residential to accommodate a future growth of up to 2,505,169 people
and mixed-use functions, counteracting the monofunctional and including redevelopment areas and the Knowledge Economic
sprawling development trend. The vision establishes an increase in City. This means an increase of 1,119,977 people, with a capacity
mixed-use areas up to 12.9%, which is twice as large as the current that exceeds the forecasted number of 2,064,000 inhabitants by
number. The increase of mixed-use areas will happen through the 2030.
transformation of residential uses into mixed-use. Drawing from
studies and guidelines on good urbanism, the breakdown of the Implementing this strategic densification and intensification
land use assigned to this new, dense corridor is 60% mixed-use, process would enable Madinah to achieve both a well-
20% commercial, and 20% residential. distributed density increase and widespread accessibility to social
infrastructure and services (e.g., shops, restaurants, hospitals,
Density schools), as well as to business opportunities, for a much larger
The proposed strategic densification follows the guiding principles portion of the population. Creating intensification in certain areas
of rebalancing residential uses along the main public transport would help to reshape Madinah into a better-functioning and
axis up to an area of over a 10-minute walking distance from balanced polycentric system, fostering socio-spatial integration
public transport nodes, and of prioritising developable parcels of and connectivity amongst different parts of the city, and facilitating
vacant land adjacent to the main streets. The proposed residential interaction between residents and pilgrims.
areas are 65.2% which are in line with the vision, allows Madinah
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 57. Current population density
118
Productivity
Access to jobs is a pivotal factor in the future growth and distribution and access. The total jobs in the city at present is at 43
economic development of a city. The current land use allotment jobs per 100 residents. This number increases to 60 jobs per 100
and the population distribution across the city of Madinah can residents in the proposed scenario by simply densifying land use
help estimate the number of jobs, which is a critical indicator and building heights within a 10-minute walk corridor along the
of the spatial representation of economic opportunities. With two metro lines. Thus, for a 200% increase in total population in
greater access to jobs within close distances, the productivity of Madinah, the estimated increase in total jobs in the city is 300%.
residents increases, as they spend less time on daily commutes
and more time in productive work. Economic opportunities Average current POPULATION DENSITY on built-up area
attract businesses and talent, which contribute to the competitive
advantage of the city. 30.9 p/ha
Average proposed POPULATION DENSITY on built-up area

The productivity analysis is based on a few assumptions which
assign a certain number of jobs per square metre of the built-up 57.8 p/ha
area for each land use. While this assumption is broad and an
approximation, it helps to understand the trends of job distribution Average POPULATION DENSITY in transit corridor
in the city and reveals the inequities and gaps in their spatial 114.5 p/ha
p/ha
< 20
20 - 40
40 -60
60 - 100
100 - 150
> 150
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 58. Proposed population density
119
Jobs accessed by walking

While the total number of jobs in the city increase at a rate higher The proposed land use scenario for Madinah will significantly
than the population growth rate, the spatial distribution of these increase the number of jobs accessed within a 10-minute walk
jobs is a critical factor in planning for future growth of the city. from different city-regions. In the new scenario, each person can
The map in figure 59 represents the number of jobs accessible access 4,500 more jobs on an average within a 10-minute walk.
within a 10-minute walk from different city-regions. More jobs Focusing on creating opportunities within the built-ip footprint
are concentrated in certain parts of the city, which reveals and by filling in the gaps and densifying existing developments within
corroborates a trend discussed in the land use section, with no the geographic core and Ring Road will increase access to jobs
distinct city centre but a cluster of dense mixed-use centres within four times over (400%), (see figure 60). Redistributing land use
and outside the Ring Road. As expected, the farther extents of by ensuring a balance of commercial, mixed, and residential land
the city, which are majorly residential, have a low job density use, will improve the spatial distribution and access to jobs across
and hence lower access to jobs. There are large sections of the the city.
city devoid of development, and hence show up as voids in the
current scenario
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 59. Current job accessibility within the 10-minute walking distance
120
Jobs accessible within a 10-minute walk per person:
7000
JOBS
6000
5000 < 100
4000 100 - 200
3000 200 -600
2000 600 - 1000

1000 - 2000
1000
> 2000
0
Current: Proposed:
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 60. Proposed job accessibility within the 10-minute walking distance
121
Jobs accessed by metro

The proposed metro lines, with the current land use pattern the guidelines mentioned in this document will ensure that
and distribution, give access to 33% of all jobs in the city to the city benefits from the economic advantages of bringing
people residing and working within a 10-minute walk buffer people together and connecting them via public transport.
and assuming a 20-minute metro ride. With the current
density and distribution of land use, the public transportation
system will not be as successful as it would struggle to serve 33% 63%
a large percentage of the population.
37%
Densifying and changing land use along the 10-minute walk
catchment area from the metro stations, doubles the number
of jobs accessed, increasing access to 63% of all jobs within 67%
the city. The exact proportion of jobs added along these
corridors will vary based on the density and distribution of Current accessibility within a Proposed accessibility within a
land use during implementation. However, developing along 10-minute walk from metro stations 10-minute walk from metro stations
Built-up area
< 10-munite walking distance from
the metro stations 2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 61. Current and proposed job accessibility by metro
122
© Ikhlasul Amal
The pedestrian route with vegetation towards the Prophet’s Mosque
123
Jobs accessed by driving

Job distribution is calculated by estimating a certain number of to congestion. This is a fair assumption, as trends worldwide
jobs per square metre of the built-up area for each land use. indicate that growing cities witness increased congestion
As shown in figure 62, about 69% of all current jobs in the and an overall reduction in travel speeds. Hence, the number
city can be accessed within a 20-minute drive. This analysis is of jobs accessed by car within a 20-minute in the proposed
dependent on the even distribution of land use and the road scenario will reduce to 45%, (figure 63). This statistic endorses
network itself. This means that the more central locations have the need to supplement this reduction in the number of jobs
a greater reach to jobs within the city. accessible by car by putting a public transportation system in
place as the city grows. The public transportation system will
As the population increases and with a denser distribution in increase the total number of jobs accessed when all modes of
the city centre, the access to jobs by road should increase. transport are considered together.
However, with an increase in the number of people on the
current road network, the travel speeds would reduce due
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 62. Current job accessibility within the 20-minute driving distance
124
31% 45% JOBS

< 10%
10 - 20
20 -40
40 - 60
69% 55% 60 - 80
> 80
Current job accessibility within Proposed job accessibility within
a 20-minute drive (%) a 20-minute drive (%)
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Fig. 63. Proposed job accessibility within the 20-minute driving distance
125
Accessibility
Spatial planning, land use, and urban density impact the overall sustainable manner. The proposed transportation network will,
effectiveness of a public transport system, both in terms of the therefore, play a key role in the establishment and the success of
number of users, travel-time, and distances. In a city with a a polycentric model, as well as infostering socio-spatial integration
balanced mix of uses, characterised by compactness and good across the city by allowing more interaction between permanent
accessibility to services and facilities, the public transport can and floating population.
generate strong local economic dynamics and trigger social
integration. Densifying along these corridors will not only improve accessibility
and increase density for a more sustainable urban form, but it will
Implementing the vision for Madinah will have great impact on also create a coherent and comprehensible structure for the city
the number of people accessing public transportation, therefore, of Madinah, that is currently plagued with fragmented pockets of
the city and its opportunities. The increase in density gives access sprawling developments. As illustrated in the sections above, the
to public transportation to a greater number of residents, giving proposed scenario brings together spatial planning policies, urban
them a choice to switch to more sustainable travel modes. In mobility and economic development in Madinah. By densifying
particular, in respect to the foreseen public transport system, and developing along mobility corridors, the total number of
the number of users able to access the lines within a 10-minute jobs in the city and the access to opportunities increases and the
walking distance will significantly increase from 55.5%, calculated overall social and economic well being of the city benefits from
over the current density distribution, to 65.4% calculated over the agglomeration advantages.
proposed density patterns distribution. Similarly, the population
captured within a 5-minute walking distance to the public
transport will increase from 31.6 %, calculated over the current 55.5 % 65.4 %
density distribution, to 41.7 % considering the proposed density
levels.
Overall, the proposed strategic densification will give access to

public transportation to a higher number of residents, with more 44.5 % 34.6 %
than 50% of the population located within a 10-minute walking
distance from one of the public transport lines, giving the city a Current accessibility within proposed accessibility within
better chance to manage movement efficiently and in a more a 10-minute walk a 10-minute walk
from metro stations (%) from metro stations (%)
© Wiki
Residential area of Madinah close to the Uhud Mountain
126
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Built-up area Al-Haramain Railway 5-minute walking distance from metro stops
(Madinah-Jeddah-Makkah)
Agricultural lands Proposed metro lines 10-minute walking distance from metro stops
Public transport intermodal nodes Public transport Regional transport hubs
Fig. 64. Public transport accessibility analysis for proposed scenario
127
128
7
7 ACTION PLAN
© Osama Bhutta
A C TION PLAN
7.1 From Strategy to Action
Transforming conceptual recommendations into concrete Overall, the Action Plan creates impact at two scales: the
and implementable strategies requires detailed systemic urban and the neighbourhood scale. Actions 1 and 2 address
actions, that can incrementally trigger the envisaged spatial, the need for a system of urban interventions, in order to
economic, and social transformations. As such, an action address the issue of sprawl and segregation in the city. The
plan that is rooted in the four strategic recommendations and implementation of a public transportation network and the
grounded in a series of incremental interventions for Madinah creation of new centralities around the main nodes acts at the
serves as a guide in prioritising and detailing the subsequent city scale, rebuilding the relations between different city users,
actions needed for building an integrated and resilient city. improving integration of the urban outskirts to the rest of the
The four systemic actions able to trigger a structural change in city, and improving transport and mobility network. Action 3
Madinah’s development trajectory are defined as: focuses on the neighbourhood scale, targeting preservation,
upgrading, and revitalisation of heritage areas, recommending
• ACTION 1: Implement the foreseen public transport heritage preservation programmes targeting historic and
system to create a backbone for development vernacular neighbourhoods. Action 4, on the other hand,
promotes punctual interventions by targeting diffused micro
• ACTION 2: Densify along public transport routes public space networks at the neighbourhood scale while
and develop new centralities addressing the socio-ecological rehabilitation of natural
elements, for the whole city, by tackling the blue and green
• ACTION 3: Protect, revitalise, and integrate historic networks. If implemented, these actions have the potential to
and vernacular areas readdress Madinah’s future urban development radically.
• ACTION 4: Preserve, enhance, and relink the blue

and green networks
© FSCP
Public spaces next to the Prophet’s Mosque
130
A C T I O N PLAN
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km

Mixed-use nodes Blue network
(for density 200p/ha)
Green network
Secondary vacant land (for density 200p/ha) Commercial nodes
Public transport lines
Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150p/ha) Ecological nodes Agricultural land and parks
Reserved for open spaces Secondary nodes Populated areas (> 150p/ha)
Redevelopment areas Public transport intermodal nodes Populated areas (< 150p/ha)
Fig. 65. Strategic recommendations for Madinah
131
A C TION PLAN
7.1.1 Action 1: Implement public transport

system to create backbone for
development
The first action addresses the need to restructure the city

starting from its mobility patterns, which represents the first
step toward the building of a compact and integrated city.
Action 1 acknowledges and builds on the intermodal public
transport system envisaged by the 2011 Comprehensive
Plan. Increased efficiency of the public transport network will
be a necessary condition for promoting an increased urban
density and the subsequent consolidation of a system of new
centralities around the emerging transport nodes.
Following this rationale, Action 1 sets the priorities for the

incremental implementation of the comprehensive and
intermodal public transport system, which, over time, will open 1.
TOD strategy applied around major
up large parcels for transformation into high-density, mixed- interchanges
use areas. This strategic action will also reduce the pressure on
the city centre of Madinah, diminishing pedestrian/vehicular
conflicts and decreasing car-dependency for people living in
the outskirts of the city. Action 1 can be summarised in the
following steps:
1.1 Start implementing the public transport network

with the three main metro lines
Based on the catchment and accessibility analysis for the
proposed public transportation system, it emerged that
implementing the three envisaged metro lines would start
reshaping the city’s mobility patterns. The proposed three
metro lines would strategically connect important nodes, such
as the Al-Haramain train station and Prince Mohammed Bin 2.
Abdulaziz International Airport between themselves and the Public transport system
rest of the city. All three metro lines would pass through the connected to the Al-Haramain High-speed
Train Station
central area, and link to both the Knowledge Economic City
and the Pilgrim City, significantly decreasing the pressure on
vehicular mobility from these areas to the centre.
1.2 Complement the foreseen network with public

transport loop on the new Ring Road and establish
feeder systems
The metro network should be complemented with a loop-bus,
which would work as an alternative to the proposed extension
of the 2nd Ring Road. The alternative public transport link,
together with the capillary feeder system, will facilitate the
intermodal exchanges, allowing for better integration of the
public transport system with the different neighbourhoods,
diffusely reconnecting the city. 3.
Implementation of the public transport system
connecting the outskirts to the central area
132
A C T I O N PLAN
11
12
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
10-minute walking distance Express lines Public transport intermodal nodes

Metro lines BRT lines Public transport stops
Public transport loop Feeder lines
Fig. 66. Action 1: Implement public transport system to create backbone for development
133
A C TION PLAN
7.1.2 Action 2: Densify along public

transport and develop new
centralities
Following the implementation of a public transportation 2.3 Promote dense and mixed-use development along
network, strategic densification should be implemented the public transport system
following the principles of Transport Oriented Development The current development pressure, experienced by Madinah
(TOD) along the proposed public transport lines and at should be redirected following the distribution of public
the main nodes. The city should, therefore, start actively transport lines. Distributing urban density following this
promoting TOD development, incentivising residential criterium will increase the number of people serviced by public
densification in the priority areas within a 10-minute walking transport, thus reducing overall car-dependency for both
distance to the public transport lines and promoting mixed- residents and visitors. The density within the consolidated
use development around the main nodes, especially at the city will start rising homogeneously towards 150-200 p/ha.
intermodal intersections between the metro system and the Consumption of desert land in the outskirts of the city should
loop-bus. Strategic densification, applied to the selected be consequently avoided, instead focusing development
major nodes and corridors along the public transport system, efforts on the structuring of a more sustainable, compact and
will incrementally redistribute mixed-use areas, activating efficient urban form.
major nodes and consolidating them as service centres. The
concentration of services and mixed-use functions will, in 2.4 Develop a system of new centralities enhancing the
turn, define the major nodes as new centralities, which will diverse neighbourhoods identities
need to be developed with different vocational identities, so As mentioned, some of the newly developed and densified
as to define a system of complementary and well-connected areas around major nodes, embedding the concentration of
centres. mixed-use functions and services, will become new centralities.
Action 2 suggests three different vocational identities for these
The system of new centralities will be inter-connected by new centralities, in relation to their locations:
the loop-bus, which will support densification along the
Ring Road. Strategic densification in this area should follow • Mixed-use nodes, (with prevailing mixed-use and services,
a gradient, based on different typologies and controlled concentration functions), located to the North of the
building heights, that supports the maintenance of a visual loop-bus and next to the Pilgrim city;
axis towards the Prophet’s Mosque. This will be in line with • Commercial nodes, (with prevailing commercial
respecting and strengthening the city’s radial structure and functions), located on the axis linking the central area to
identity, as well as the hierarchy of this unique centrality. the Knowledge Economic City;
Therefore, Action 2 guides operating strategic densification • Ecological nodes, (intersection with agricultural land and
using the TOD principles, and in setting the criteria for the traditional farms), for all those nodes located on areas
incremental consolidation of new emerging centralities: closely integrated with the green network, the wadis and
the system of farmlands
2.1 Develop the vacant land within the established • This will help to create a diversified system of centralities
boundary depending on the surrounding conditions, in terms of
The priority in selecting areas for densification should be the urban form, functions, and roles within the city, allowing
vacant land within 10-minute walking distance to the public for both diversity and integration of the city’s diverse
transport, which is appropriate for high-density, mixed-use neighbourhoods and features.
development with the average density of 200 pp/ha. These
areas should include a wide range of services and hosting
facilities for pilgrims, like boutique hotels and other types
of diffused accommodation. Mixing residential areas with
facilities for pilgrims will bring residents and pilgrims together,
and help to rebalance the current uneven service-distribution.
2.2 Follow with the development of vacant land within

the 2nd Ring Road
The areas within the 2nd Ring Road should follow, being
developed with an average density of 150 p/ha, represented
by low and medium-rise development, integrated within the
traditional urban form, so as to respect the city’s identity by
maintaining visual openness towards the Prophet’s Mosque
for the rest of the city.
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A C T I O N PLAN
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Metro lines Densification boundary MixED-use nodes

Public transport loop Commercial nodes
Express lines Secondary vacant land (for density 200p/ha) Ecological nodes
BRT lines Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150p/ha)
Secondary nodes
Feeder lines 10-minute walking distance Public transport
intermodal nodes
Fig. 67. Action 2: Densify along public transport and develop new centralities
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7.1.3 Action 3: Protect, revitalise and

integrate historic and vernacular areas
As seen, the significant increase of pilgrims resulted in the increasing hygiene standards while providing necessary services
expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque and the construction of high- and infrastructure in line with specifically designed structural
rise hotels within the 3rd Ring Road, changing the traditional urban upgrading and revitalisation plans, in parallel devising small and
fabric and patterns of the area. The central area, which is the oldest distributed public spaces. Upgrading the public realm by providing
part of the city, with its vernacular patterns, performs as the major small and distributed public spaces would revitalise the socio-
high-density area, hosting 304,743 inhabitants, which is nearly economic vibrancy of the neighbourhoods while increasing the
22% of the total population. Labeling these areas as unplanned, quality of life for residents.
as done until now, does not help in avoiding the risk of demolition
and radical redevelopment. Preserving and upgrading historic and 3.3 Preserve, revitalise and integrate traditional farmlands
vernacular areas would treasure the identity of the city against a into the urban fabric
standardised and stereotypical kind of development made up of The traditional farmlands should be preserved and linked to
high-rise hotels and condominiums. Upgrading, integrating, and the comprehensive system of the green and blue network, and
revitalising vernacular areas would improve the public realm and become a part of the heritage together with their old mud
maintain a richer socio-spatial pattern, creating new economic buildings, therefore,promoting Madinah rich identity. These
opportunities. The upgrading, integration, and revitalisation of currently inaccessible areas should be integrated into the green
both historic and vernacular areas would increase the touristic system to revitalise the abandoned agricultural lands, increasing
potential, creating and redistributing economic benefits derived public spaces and forming vegetated pedestrian alleyways. Such
from tourism to a wider population. For this reason, Action 3 asks an intervention would support the creation of a highly connected
for the establishment of an appropriate categorisation for these green system, going from the regenerated urban farms and
areas, along with a comprehensive regulatory system to detailed the system of wadis to the central historic areas. This would
intervention guidelines for their upgrading: structure a new green infrastructural system, where sustainable
neighbourhoods and wadis are equally integrated within the
3.1 Establish categorisation system for vernacular and urban environment, creating the possibility for the establishment
historic areas of eco-villages, recreational farms, and other kinds of micro-
The careful assessment and the subsequent appropriate enterprises complementing Madinah’s tourist offer.
categorisation of the various unplanned areas, will help to distinguish
which parts of the city to categorise for preservation and which areas
to target for potential redevelopment. Action 3 suggests starting
with three macro-categories, to be used in a preliminary analysis:
• Historic areas existing from 1929,

• Areas with traditional agricultural pattern within/in the
proximity of the green network,
• Unplanned areas within the 1450 UGB in need of
redevelopment.
Based on the three described macro-categories, a set of restrictive

regulatory controls rules and redevelopment regulations should
be set in place. This would help in subsequently formulate an 1.
Area with historical value,
appropriate strategy for each category, targeting the preservation, built before 1929
rehabilitation and upgrading, as well as the integration, and
revitalisation of different kinds of neighbourhoods in Madinah.
3.2 Protect and upgrade historical and vernacular urban

patterns
The areas presenting the vernacular patterns should have a specific
set of regulations and design guidelines for their revitalisation and
integration with the consolidated city. This should include the
preservation of the irregular street patterns and urban fabric, as
well as the existing streetscape, building typologies and massing.
Upgrading of the built environment through interventions on
both the exterior and interior parts of the buildings should form
an integral part of the approach. Selective demolition processes 2.
of unsafe and poorly maintained buildings should aim at Traditional farmlands
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A C T I O N PLAN
11
12
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Traditional farmlands to be Historic areas existing from 1929 Priority areas for densification:
revitalised and integrated
Areas with traditional agricultural pattern Mixed-use nodes
Historical pattern to be within / in the proximity of the green network
protected Commercial nodes
Unplanned areas within the 1450 UGB in need
Public transport intermodal nodes of redevelopment Ecological nodes
10-minute walking distance Agricultural land Public transport lines
Fig. 68. Action 3: Protect, revitalise and integrate historic and vernacular areas
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A C TION PLAN
7.1.4 Action 4: Preserve, enhance, and relink

the blue and green networks
Action 4 aims at making the city more resilient, more sustainable, providing additional water storage opportunities for agricultural
and enjoyable for both residents and pilgrims. As such, and in uses, a system of small and diffused retention ponds should be
parallel to the strategic densification process indicated in Action incorporated into the wadi system. By reinstating underground
2, vacant land will have to be selectively preserved for the creation water-table recharge mechanisms, and by creating and capillary
of green public space, especially within the 2nd Ring Road, in close distributing water retention ponds along the wadis beds, the alluvial
proximity to the Prophet’s Mosque, and in areas subjected to overflow could be accommodated sustainably and naturally, while
densification. Some of the vacant parcels in these areas should be simultaneously increasing water security and resilience to floods.
selectively reserved for the creation of green public spaces, pocket Meanwhile, the reconnected green and blue networks will reduce
parks, and public gardens. In parallel, the natural system of wadis, the evapotranspiration phenomena along the wadis, contributing
currently neglected as a structural element in the city’s functioning, to the overall water-tables recharge mechanism.
will have to be re-naturalised and strengthened, moving towards
natural water management systems at the entire urban scale, so
as to play a key role in the city’s functioning. In addition, promotion
of urban and peri-urban agriculture along the wadis, together
with the preservation and revitalisation of traditional farmlands,
will gradually support the relinking of green and blue networks,
while strengthening food security and resilience. As such, Action
4 is articulated in the following steps:
4.1 Selectively preserve and convert vacant land into public

spaces, creating a well-distributed network, especially
in the city centre
The 2011 Comprehensive Plan for Al Madinah proposes, through 1.
an Open Space Strategy, a substantial increase of open public Implementation of the system of water
spaces in the city. Accordingly, Action 4 foresees the preservation retention ponds
of existing vacant land for this purpose, especially in close proximity
of the new mixed-use nodes previously described and in the central
area. All new development areas, should, therefore, be considered
as opportunities to increase green public spaces, establishing a
network connected to the major parks. Well-distributed, well-
designed, and diversified open green spaces should incrementally
form a strong and well-linked green network, moving towards
and along the wadis system.
4.2 Revitalise natural hydrological system across the city,

restoring and preserving wadis and transforming them
into linear parks
Primary wadis and existing agricultural land will have to be
protected from development encroachment. With the goal of
2.
Transformation of wadis into linear parks
increasing water-table recharge mechanisms, wadis’ rehabilitation
will require a gradual move towards re-establishing a more natural
water management approach, away from the current highly
engineered flood-control channeling system. Rehabilitated wadis,
together with the adjacent traditional farmlands, should then be
transformed into linear parks and linked to a networked system
of public spaces across the city. This highly interconnected green
network should be supported by policies incentivising urban and
peri-urban agriculture where possible, facilitating the process of
relinking blue and green systems.
4.3 Create a diffused system of water retention ponds

linked to the wadi network to increase storage capacity
and prevent flooding 3.
In order to increase Madinah’s resilience to floods, while Transformation of vacant land into
public and green spaces
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A C T I O N PLAN
2.5 0 2.5 5 10 km
Blue network Parks Vacant land reserved for open and green spaces
Green network Vacant land within 10-minute walking distance from metro stops
Agricultural land
Built-up area Retention pond Secondary vacant land (for density 200p/ha)
Wadis buffer zone with
potential for linear parks Ecological node Vacant land within the 2nd Ring Road (for density 150p/ha)
Fig. 69. Action 4: Preserve, enhance, and relink blue and green network
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7.2 Four Systemic Actions for Structural

Change
The Action Plan presented here can be considered as a

guide on how to incrementally trigger a structural change in
Madinah, moving away from an unsustainable model towards
an integrated, ecological framework for urban development. A
sustainable and ecological city (or Eco-City) considers together
environmental, social, and economic factors, along with
comprehensive urban planning and management efforts for a
long-term sustainable development. This implies an integrated
approach to sustainable urbanisation that should be based on
a holistic view of social development, economic opportunities,
environmental management, and governance frameworks.
This integrated approach should entail the coordination of

objectives and programmes, among different city stakeholders
(e.g., citizens, Government, and the business sector), as well
as the development of linkages between and within socio-
economic sectors and activities. As such, the above-described
scaffolded system of actions will drive an overall transformation
on the spatial, the social, and the economic fabric of the city. If
the steps illustrated in the Action Plan are followed, Madinah
will be radically transformed into a polycentric, ecological city,
aligning its identity as an oasis, and as a historic place, to a
new sustainable urban structure that is:
• Compact;
• Integrated;
• Historic; and
• Resilient.
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Workshop in Madinah with local stakeholders
141
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8 FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
THE THREE-PRONGED APPROACH
8
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TH E THR EE-PR ONGE D AP P ROACH
8.1 Spatial Recommendations
8.1.1 A strategic view of the Al Madinah

Region
The Al Madinah Region is considered one of the Saudi regions with as services. It would be, therefore, key to invest in diversification
the greatest development potentials, qualifying it to attract more in order to generate job opportunities in the region, as indicated
investments. Therefore, the regional economic efficiency of by Vision 2030, especially by expanding sub-sectors related to
existing activities should be developed and improved by providing tourism, mining, and transportation, whom all enjoy comparative
more facilities and services. In addition, the productive base should advantages.
be improved, and more investments should be injected into new,
untapped sectors and activities. The plan for the Al Madinah Region proposes an increase of
agricultural land by adding 641.5 square kilometres to the current
As per the Central Department of Statistics & Information (CDSI), agricultural and grasslands areas, which shall be concentrated
the average annual growth rate of the overall population in in provinces of Al-Ula, Khyber, Hanakiyah, AL-Mahd, Wadi Al-
Madinah from 2004 to 2014 was 2.90%, while the average Ghora, and Wadi Al-Fari. This would more than double the total
annual growth rate of the Saudi population in the region was agricultural area of the region by the target year 2030, at a rate of
2.02%. This rate is lower than the average overall Kingdom- 2.9% per annum. As the region experienced a population growth
wide growth rate of Saudi population during the same period. rate of 2.9% between 2004 to 2014 and beyond, it’s important to
Accordingly, Madinah as a region is one of the least attractive protect the existing wadis and agricultural lands from construction,
regions to the populations of the Kingdom.56 This trend is different in order to boost production, as projected in the SAGIA economic
at the city level where it’s considered to attract a high resident and report of 2014. In this respect, because of the encroachments on
annual floating population at the same rate of 2.9%. the wadis caused by the right of way of some constructions, wadis
have been narrowed, causing stormwater issues and exposing
Regionally, the structural problem in the development of the rural properties to destruction. Protecting and re-naturalising the main
sector is due to the small size and fragmentation of communities. wadis, like Wadi Reem, Hazra, and Al-Sumariya, amongst others,
Similarly, it is necessary to improve the geographical redistribution will support agriculture while improving future resilience to floods.
of economic activities, giving priority to the fragmented and It’s worth mentioning, however, that the Amanah of Al-Madinah
marginalised, smaller cities in the region. However, this should not Al-Munawwarah, has undertaken a number of actions aimed at
happen at the expense of major cities and urban centres in the removing irregular occupancy on the sides of wadis across the
region, such as Madinah, Yanbu, and Badr, which are leading with region.
high growth rates in the regional economy as a whole.
Regional heritage sites and areas contribute to the cultural
In an effort to better connect the region, the plan for the Al Madinah heritage, not only to Madinah and the Kingdom but also to
Region included a rail network between Madinah, Al Qassim, and Islamic traditions around the world. WIth many cultural landscape
Riyadh, passing through Al-Soweidrah, as well as the reopening areas in the region, including landscaped features or ecologically
of the old Hejaz Railway to connect Madinah with the Northern sensitive sites that are integral to the historical relationship of the
part of the country. Regionally, this rail network would connect population of the region, steps should be taken to preserve them.
Madinah to satellite cities and help with the transfer of goods These include the prominent mountains, such as Jabal Sala and
and mobilisation of religious visitors, which is key to boosting the Jabal Uhud, and the major agricultural lands around the Quba
economy of the region. On regional recommendations, the key Mosque.
areas of focus include economic diversity, heritage, agriculture,
and also an overall spatial rebalancing by infilling the massive Also of heritage importance is the historic Hejaz Railway,
vacant lands within the cities. However, in cognisance of the constructed at the beginning of 1900 to serve the Two Holy
major economic plans and projects with regional impact on the Mosques providing modern transportation to pilgrims coming
economic and investment environment of the Madinah area, the from Asia, Europe, and the Levant, strengthening the ties between
future should stay guided by the need for urban sustainability the then fragmented Muslim World. The Hejaz Railway was an
while executing them. important interchange of human values, and, together with the
fortifications, stations and water works along the Syrian Hajj road,
Diversifying economic activities in the region represents an outstanding example of architectural and transport
The economic structure of the region is not highly diversified as security, as well as technological development of that time. The
it is mainly a service-economy, except for Yanbu Industrial City, preservation of these historical pieces, as is happening with the
which is considered a national industrial centre. Whereas the focus Hejaz Museum, and all spin-off activities associated with the rail,
of private investment is in trade and construction activities, linked have the potential to boost the economic contribution to the GDP
to a demand generated by tourism, population increase, and of the regions it crosses while being a living testimony of Islamic
urban growth, followed by industrial and mining activities, as well history.
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Groups of pilgrims during the journey
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8.1.2 Towards Madinah, Eco-historic Oasis
The strategic vision for Madinah, with the four actions described system, based on a hierarchical polycentric model, that is able
in Chapter 6 promote the development of urban spatial to support both resident and visitor flows, reducing volume, and
frameworks that support sustainable urbanisation by promoting impact of traffic congestion, and pollution. While the vision for
a more compact urban form, based on adequate densification Madinah Historic City is centred around the preservation of the
and polycentrism, and structured along the public transport historical neighbourhoods and vernacular areas, leveraging the
network. According to the vision for Madinah, public transport, historical city identity to support and stimulate, and diversify local
and appropriate strategic densification, together with the creation economies, creating vibrant zones with accessible public spaces
of new mixed-use centralities, will support a more efficient use of for visitors and residents to share, minimising pedestrian/vehicle
resources and land, while fostering integration between pilgrims and visitor/resident conflict. The same system of open, public
and citizens, and connectivity across neighbourhoods. The spaces, connected amongst them and integrated to the wider
preservation, enhancement, and integration of agricultural land network of wadis, agricultural farmlands, and fields, will rebuild
and green public space, along with a re-naturalised wadi system and strengthen the natural structuring elements of Madinah. In
and a better water management, will strengthen Madinah’s essence, the strategy for Madinah Resilient City enhances these
ecological networks, while the preservation, improvement, and networks considering preservation of agricultural land, promoting
re-connection of historical and agricultural areas will help greening urban agriculture and adequate water management, providing a
the city and making it more resilient. healthy natural environment which supports the city’s functionality
and improves the overall quality of life for its residents.
As such, Madinah Compact City is envisioned as well-structured,
dense, and well-balanced urban form, where the diversification 8.2 Institutional and Legal
of housing typologies offers opportunities to increase densities,
Recommendations
protects existing environmental resources and offers a pleasant,
diverse, and accessible urban environment with a rich historic
In terms of legal reform, Madinah would benefit from both fiscal
identity. Most importantly, the future city is well-connected to the
and jurisdictional decentralisation to facilitate independent and
central area and the Prophet’s Mosque. Historically, the Mosque
innovative solutions to urban social problems, at the Amanah
area is an essential part of the city, which must be considered
level. This should entail:
for the general spatial vision. Thus, Madinah Connected City
builds on an intermodal and well-developed public transport
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Workshop discussion in the urban planning roundtable
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T H E T H R E E - P R O N G E D A P PR O ACH
• The transfer of local planning power, authority and The city of Madinah needs a functionally effective by-law
function from MoMRA to the Amanah, with provision that preserves rural open space and agricultural land through
for independent action without recourse to effectively clear terms and conditions for land use change with clear and
address community needs. This is supported by the New transparent decision-making processes.
Urban Agenda, which specifies that territorial urban
design and planning processes should be led by sub- Consolidation of the legal planning instruments would also
national and local governments, but their implementation support development intervention of Madinah, along with
will require coordination with all spheres of governments, the review, update, and modernisation of these laws to make
as well as the participation of the civil society, the public them relevant to the current development situation. This
sector, and other relevant stakeholders; should also entail re-thinking the lawmaking process to limit
the number of actors. The mere existence of the laws in the
• Fiscal decentralisation, which gives autonomy to the KSA will not guarantee sustainable urban development as they
Amanah to source funds to finance development must be functionally effective, i.e., precise in achieving their
activities. Revenue generation activities in cities may also intended results, clear, consistent, and simple to understand.
include taxes and levies. Urban areas should be allowed to There is a need for a functionally effective urban planning law
collect some form of property taxes to fund development that, inter alia:
activities. The recent White Lands Act that imposes fees
on undeveloped plots in urban areas to tackle land • Introduces incentives/requirements that will enable more
speculation, housing shortages, and indiscriminate land compact city growth;
development shows that regulatory mechanisms can be • Defines clear institutional roles and responsibilities at
leveraged to generate revenue while fostering an efficient each level;
development framework; • Enforces linkage between all levels of plans (national-
regional-local);
• The opening of avenues for actors, including the private • Provides effective coordination and monitoring
and voluntary sector and the general community, to mechanisms; and
participate in decisions regarding projects that affect • Increases meaningful public participation and engagement
them. in planning.
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Meeting with the Mayor of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
147
The legal framework also needs to enshrine an acceptable mode • Increase the availability of land for affordable housing
of public participation in public decision making to foster equality developments;
and inclusion. The consolidation of the urban legislation would • Safeguard competitive markets and minimise monopolistic
also give legitimacy to the plans that Madinah relies on. practices;
• Increase local revenue generation
Revising the Urban Growth Boundary Law to include clear criteria
on how it is set would enhance technical and vertical accountability. Thus far, the WLT has been adopted in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah,
The Law also needs to place more emphasis on establishing the and Dammam and applied to 10,000 m2 of urban land. In addition to
Development Protection Boundary as a no-development zone to improving the own-source revenue base of these three cities, reforms
prevent haphazard development. These initiatives will strengthen such as the WLT support the framework for sustainable urbanisation
policy formulation designed to make the city more sustainable, introduced in the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
compact and dense. Primarily, a post-legislative scrutiny of the
urban growth boundary law should be done to assess if it has In the case of Madinah, a policy aimed at deepening and diversifying
met its policy objectives. This could in turn inform the legal reform own-source revenue should consider socio-economic and demographic
process as well as the planning policy options. factors, such as the population growth rate, population density and
urban sprawl. Additionally, policies that support agricultural land are
8.3 Financial Recommendations encouraged in order to protect local agricultural activities, especially in
the production of dates.
8.3.1 Own-source revenue instruments
Taking all of these factors into consideration, financing instruments that
In 2015, the KSA began implementing a series of reforms meant to mobilise local revenue with an eye on the trajectory of expenditures in
strengthen public finance by diversifying public revenue, introducing the long-run are crucial to supporting locally sustainable public finance
new tax mechanisms, improving tax administration, and attracting and urban development. Hence, exploring own-source revenue
private investment. In addition to improving local finance and mechanisms through land-based taxation, among others, will be a
economic dynamism, the reforms were also meant to support crucial step in achieving the goals put forth in the NTP.
the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) by fostering
inclusive, sustainable, and equitable local financial and economic Land-based taxation is supported by a large body of evidence from a
frameworks through progressive tax policies and own-source revenue diverse set of countries. In particular, capturing the value created by
generation.57 new infrastructure projects, zoning changes, and / or infrastructure
upgrades, (figure 70) through land-value capture has proven to be
The geographic, cultural, social, demographic, and economic effective in mobilising local revenue. Land-value capture is based on
advantages of the KSA have made it a crucial international player the idea that individuals, businesses, and landowners in the adjacent
and economic power. Historically, oil and gas have been the country’s areas that benefit from government and/or private investment in
primary exports, but the KSA has begun investing in other strategic infrastructure, (e.g., roads, railway, industrial infrastructure, schools,
sectors of the economy. and hospitals) benefit from the land value increase resulting from
these types of public infrastructure projects.
Under Vision 2030, KSA’s development roadmap also supports
economic diversification into non-fuel.58 One of the objectives of
Vision 2030 is to facilitate economic development in new industries T H E I MPA C T O F I N F R A S T R U C T U R E
and foster innovation and economic competitiveness. In part, NTP D E V E L O P ME N T O N L A N D VA L U E S
2020 was launched to build the institutional capacity needed to
reach the Vision 2030 goals, including supporting economic growth Case Examples Key Findings
and diversification. The NTP utilises innovative methods to identify
The Crossrail Property Impact Study (2012) estimated that capital
economic challenges, seize opportunities, adopt effective planning London, England
values in the areas around central London Crossrail stations
tools, increase engagement with the private sector, implement would rise by 35% for residential properties and 27.5% for office
properties; outperforming the baseline projections.
reforms, and evaluate performance. The impact of public transportation on property values for
Dubai, United Arab Emirates dwellings and commercial properties is about 13% and 76% ,
respectively, within an area of 1.5 kilometres
The NTP reforms aim to strengthen the public finance system,
Urban development that included retail facilities resulted in a
introduce new tax mechanisms, and attract private investment into Dubai, United Arab Emirates
price premium of 15 – 20%
industries that the KSA is most likely to have a competitive advantage Cairo, Egypt
Schools increased residential land prices by approximately 13%
Walkability within a residential community increases home
in. One example of these reforms is the WLT, introduced in 2015, values by up to 9%
which requires owners of empty urban plots designated for residential Research suggests that for every additional 5-minute of walking
or commercial use to pay an annual tax of 2.5% of the land value. The Bogotá, Colombia time to a public transportation station, rental prices fell by
6.8 - 9.3%
goal of the WLT is to:
Source: GVA (2018); Mohammad et al. (2017); Colliers International (2017); Rodríguez and Targa (2004)
• Promote real estate development that addresses supply shortages

in the region; Fig. 70. The impact of infrastructure development on land value
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Current streetscape behind the Al-Baqi Cemetery
149
Land-based financial instruments are particularly well suited other beneficiaries.60

to Madinah where the increasing demand for and on public Adopting and enforcing betterment levies requires that
infrastructure is creating opportunities for introducing land-based municipalities remain transparent, accountable, and in
taxes (e.g., the Smart Mass Transport System planned for 2021). communication with the public regarding the use and
effectiveness of the betterment levy. In addition, local
One type land-based tax mechanism is betterment levies.59 governments should analyse the costs and the benefits of
Betterment levies are effective financing instruments that enable various types of land-based financing tools.
the cost recovery of large capital investments. Betterment levies
are tailored to the type of infrastructure and mixed land use Conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis will enable public
encouraged by the sustainable urbanisation principles supported officials to develop proactive solutions, anticipate potential
by UN-Habitat. In practice, betterment levies would enable the issues and bottlenecks, and seize opportunities. Figure 72
municipal government of Madinah to capture a percentage of shows some of the factors that local governments should
the additional value created by public infrastructure development consider when conducting a cost-benefit analysis of various
projects, and land use changes that accrue to landowners and land-based financing instruments.
C O S T- B E N E F I T A N A LY S I S FA C T O R S
KE Y FACTO RS I N DESI GNI NG IN LAND-BASED FINANCING
BETTERM ENT L EVI ES
BENEFITS COSTS
Determining land value capture objectives
- Alignment of Saudi reforms with - Effort to enable and support legal
Revenue targets based on either • Betterment levies are a good option for scenarios involving New Urban Agenda (4th pillar) framework and local governance
(a) a percent of infrastructure cots public transportation and waterfront development
or (b) a percent of the increase in • Data on changes in land value and efficient tax administration - Efficient and reliable source of - Different administrative functions
land value are critical success factors local revenue and tasks involved
Timing and collection of payments - The incentive for efficient land - Length of the start-up process
development and mixed land use
Payments collected:
• Consideration should be given to whether there are negative
- Increased density and economic - Investment in diagnostic tools
• Upfront, as with developer
financial consequences for landowners who may not have the
agglomeration for land information, monitoring
contributions made before the
capacity to pay a levy or who are asset rich, but income poor
systems (e.g., fiscal cadaster), and
infrastructure is built
• The government might consider only requiring the levy to be
data collection64
• Annually, as with an increment to
paid when a property is sold or transferred
- Stimulate the development of
local government rates
specific infrastructure (e.g., public - Effort needed to combine urban
• At the time the property is sold
transport, educational and health planning with infrastructure
and social infrastructure) investments
Application of the levy by land use groups
- Alternative investment - Investment in capacity building
• Application of the levy should be determined using the incentives (e.g. PPPs) and training
beneficiary-pays principle
• Real estate developers
• If it can be demonstrated that benefits will flow to specific - Increase in civic awareness and - Investment into communication
• Commercial landowners
types of property owners, then there is a strong case to include accountability systems and civic participation
• Residential landowners
them in the land value mechanism design
Application and boundaries of levy Source: Farvacque-Vitkovic and Kopanyi (2014); United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (2016).
• In Dammam, land value benefits are maximized for a

Levies can be structured to have a 1.5 kilometres area with a walking catchment for public Fig. 72. Cost-benefit analysis factors in land-based financing
broad based (e.g. city-wide) or time/ transportation.
distance based • This benchmark is given supported by other cases (e.g. Dubai,
London, Bogotá) and will require additional analysis focused
on project specifics 8.3.2 Leveraging urban productivity
Setting the rate
• The choice of rate structure will need to reflect the choice of
Harnessing the economic and own-source revenue potential
The rate structure is variable and is
determined on a case-by-case basis
who to tax and the revenue base selected. of Madinah will foster development across local industries. In
• In Dammam, the base is related to the percent of land value
increase.
addition, investment in public infrastructure opens the door
to improving the accessibility, density, and mixed land use of
Governance structures for land value capture cities.
• Various existing legal instruments that could be used for the purpose of supporting value capture tools
• Regulation of new area-specific levies associated with infrastructure projects or urban planning One way in which urban productivity can be enhanced is
• Selecting the right legal instrument reduces the potential for unintended consequences
• KSA and, specifically, Dammam currently use land value capture mechanisms through the use of PPPs. PPPs are effective financing tools
• Lessons learned from current instruments (e.g. white lands tax) can inform the selection and that facilitate public-private sector engagement. In PPPs, the
implementation of appropriate legal instruments that support land value capture instruments.
private sector can provide the public sector with much-needed
Source: Youngman, J.M. (1996). Tax on land and buildings. In Thuronyi, V., (Eds.) Tax law design and expertise in the provision of high-quality public goods and
drafting. International Monetary Fund. Washington, DC.
services. Moreover, PPPs can help drive economic innovation
and diversification into value-added industries, improve
Fig. 71. Key factors in designing betterment levies
product marketing, and reduce coordination costs among
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T H E T H R E E - P R O N G E D A P PR O ACH
trading partners. It is important to note here that a crucial government to connect national strategies with local
input into supporting the development of the workforce, priorities. For example, establishing a local liaison office,
especially in specialised fields, is education. Sustainable urban or a local PPP unit linked to the National Centre for
development, therefore, must include policies that support Privatization in charge of proposing, implementing, and
public education. monitoring PPP projects.
• Investing in capacity building and improving tax
Saudi Arabia has already taken steps to support PPPs. The KSA administration. The success of PPP projects is strongly
established a Public-Private Partnership body, the National correlated with the ability of officers to manage three
Centre for Privatization, housed in the Ministry of Economy strategic phases: (1) feasibility, (2) procurement, and (3)
and Planning. PPPs in Madinah could be a powerful financing delivery and monitoring.
tools in transportation, tourism, and industry to (1) increase • Using a comprehensive approach. PPPs should be focused
land values through development projects, (2) enhance own- on linking infrastructure investment and land development
source revenue, (3) efficiently operate and manage public and, thus, maximising benefits that correspond with
services, (4) create opportunities for collaboration with the mixed land use.
private sector on publicly funded projects and services, and (5) • Generating a diverse portfolio of income streams tailored
attract national and international investment. to local needs. Indeed, sprawling and urban mobility
behaviour needs to be faced by the government for
Furthermore, private capital can support cities such as the sake of increasing density and reducing the massive
Madinah in reaching a variety of development needs through vehicle dependency of Saudi citizens for mobility.62 In this
the (1) development of vacant land, (2) increased population instance, impact fees might be suitable instruments to
density, (3) enhanced local revenue, (4) reduction in municipal constrain sprawling, and in generating additional revenues
dependence on intergovernmental transfers, and (5) economic for local government.63 In parallel, new parking fees and
stimulus.61 Several tax instruments are available to local congestion fees are highly recommended to increase
governments interested in expanding own-source revenue. the use of public transportation and, consequently, the
Municipal governments can maximise the benefits of these tax profitability of investment for the private sector.
instruments, (especially PPPs) by:
• Coordinating and collaborating with different levels of
© Shutterstock
The Green Dome of The Prophet’s Mosque
151
CASE STUDIES AND BEST PRACTICES
WASTE MANAGEMENT CONGESTION FEES
In the Tamil Nadu State of India, a waste management Congestion fees reduced traffic in central London by
project proposed the central government (35%) and the 26% from 2002 levels, generating £ 122 million net
state government (15%) share 50% of the total project costs. in 2006. Thanks to the introduction of the Ecopass as
A private entity (via a PPP) would provide the remaining cordon-pricing scheme in Milan city centre, the traffic
50% of project funding. The private concessionaire was reduced by 16.2% in 2011. The resulting annual
would be responsible for planning, designing, building, revenue was of € 5.9 million. The implementation of the
financing, operating, and maintaining the municipal solid Area Licensing System (ALS) in Singapore reduced traffic
waste management facility for the concession period. volume from 12,400 vehicles to 7,300 vehicles. Revenues
Land would be provided by the municipality through an from the sale of area licenses amounted to USD 47 million.
annual lease as specified by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
PARKING FEES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
Chicago leased 34,500 curbside parking metres to In Vancouver, greenhouse gases emitted from the city’s
the bank Morgan Stanley for 75 years, trading metre landfill are managed and operated by a private company
revenues for an upfront payment of nearly USD $1.16 that transforms the gas emissions into useable energy for
billion. This type of PPP contract includes a fixed schedule the city. The municipal government requested that the
of metre rate increases, which raised rates two to four- private company selected to be responsible for designing,
fold by 2013. As a result, Chicago had the highest curb building, operating, and financing the project. Heat
side metre rates in the United States. Metres were generated from the city’s waste is recovered and used by
netting USD $20 million annually while Morgan Stanley village farm greenhouses to produce vegetables and to heat
managed pricing and maintenance of the metres. the landfill’s administrative and maintenance buildings.
Source: Ernst and Young Pvt Ltd., Ministry of Urban Development of the Government of India, & the Confederation of Indian Industry. Compendium on public private partnerships in urban
Infrastructure: case studies. (2017). World Bank. Washington, DC.; Weinberger, R., Kaehny, J., & Rugo, M. (2010). U.S. parking policies: an overview of management strategies. Institute
for Transportation and Development Policy. New York, NY.; Croci, E. (2016). Urban Road Pricing: A Comparative Study on the Experiences of London, Stockholm and Milan. Transportation
Research Procedia 14, 253-262.; Phang, S., & Toh, R.S. (2004). Road Congestion Pricing in Singapore: 1975-2003. Transportation Journal, 43(2), 16-25. The Canadian Council for Public-
Private Partnerships, & PPP Canada. (2011). Public private partnerships: a guide for municipalities. The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships.
152
© Wiki
View of the interior space of The Prophet’s Mosque

154
9
9 ANNEX
© marviikad
A N NEX
9.1 Picture Credits
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
© Wiki.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
© Wikimedia.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
© Mohamod Fasil............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 33
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 35
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 38
© Osama Bhutta.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 49
© Wikimedia.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 58
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 59
© Osama Bhutta.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 59
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 60
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 62
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 64
© Wiki.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 67
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 68
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 70
© Omar A. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
© Wikimedia.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 77
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 78
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 80
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 83
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 84
© Wikimedia.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
© Tevfik Teker.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93
© Wikimedia.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 98
© Osama Bhutta............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 105
© FSCP............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 116
© Ikhlasul Amal............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 125
© Wiki............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 128
© Osama Bhutta............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 131
© FSCP............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 132
© FSCP............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 143
© Ashraf Alhujali........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 145
156
ANNEX
© Wiki.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 147
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 148
© FSCP.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 149
© Wiki.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 151
© Shutterstock................................................................................................................................................................................................. 153
© Wiki.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 155
© marviikad..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 157
157
A N NEX
9.2 List of Figures
List of Figures
Fig. 1. Population distribution, growth rate and urban areas within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia....................................................................................16
Fig. 2. Regional Gross Domestic Product and economic sector contribution...........................................................................................................................17
Fig. 3. Transport connectivity between Saudi cities...................................................................................................................................................................17
Fig. 4. International pilgrimage flow map in 2017 (1438H)......................................................................................................................................................19
Fig. 5. Madinah Region................................................................................................................................................................................................................19
Fig. 6. Administrative boundaries...............................................................................................................................................................................................20
Fig. 7. Population distribution in the governorates according to 2010 census........................................................................................................................22
Fig. 8. Accessibility in the Al Madinah Region...........................................................................................................................................................................23
Fig. 9. Natural resources..............................................................................................................................................................................................................24
Fig. 10. Economic nodes and network........................................................................................................................................................................................26
Fig. 11. Structural elements.........................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Fig. 12. Functional connectivity...................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Fig. 13. Number of urban laws in KSA based on the Main Themes of Urban Planning Legislation (UN-HABITAT)..............................................................32
Fig. 14. FSCP simplified representation of hierarchy of plans and the planning instruments for the city of Madinah........................................................36
Fig. 15. Matrix showing the development options within the phases of the urban boundary in the National Growth Centres (Including Madinah).....39
Fig. 16. FSCP simplified representation of Planning Process and Actors involved in the preparation of the Madinah Local Plan......................................40
Fig. 17. Percentage of white lands – First phase of implementation of the White Lands Law..............................................................................................42
Fig. 18. Madinah Amanah own-source of revenue, 2017..........................................................................................................................................................44
Fig. 19. Municipal budget process...............................................................................................................................................................................................45
Fig. 22. Saudi Arabia national expenditure by sector, 2016......................................................................................................................................................49
Fig. 23. Saudi Arabia national expenditure by sector, 2017 .....................................................................................................................................................49
Fig. 24. Boundaries, neighbourhoods and key infrastructure...................................................................................................................................................53
Fig. 25. Urban growth pattern....................................................................................................................................................................................................55
Fig. 26. Land allocated per capita...............................................................................................................................................................................................56
Fig. 27. Administrative boundaries ............................................................................................................................................................................................59
Fig. 28. Current distribution of population density...................................................................................................................................................................61
Fig. 29. Distribution of population density recommended by UN-Habitat..............................................................................................................................61
Fig. 30. Natural and topographic elements................................................................................................................................................................................63
Fig. 31. Major movement infrastructure.....................................................................................................................................................................................67
Fig. 32. Tourist dynamics and main entrances to the city..........................................................................................................................................................67
Fig. 33. Existing land use..............................................................................................................................................................................................................69

Fig. 34. Proposed land use according to the Madinah Plan by Amanah..................................................................................................................................69
Fig. 35. Vacant land and undeveloped area...............................................................................................................................................................................70
Fig. 36. Distribution of the unplanned settlements and their respective population density distribution...........................................................................72
Fig. 37. Unplanned settlements with heritage potential and areas exposed to land-slope risk.............................................................................................73
Fig. 38. Driving accessibility to the Prophet’s Mosque...............................................................................................................................................................74
Fig. 39. Driving accessibility to the commercial city centres......................................................................................................................................................77
Fig. 40. Comprehensive Plan for the Madinah Metropolitan Area with the proposed public transport and green network.............................................79
Fig. 41. Environmental elements and topographic constraints.................................................................................................................................................85
Fig. 42. Loss of vegetated land from 1985 to 2010....................................................................................................................................................................87
158
ANNEX
Fig. 43. Topography and green spaces........................................................................................................................................................................................87
Fig. 44. Water infrastructure with identified flooding areas....................................................................................................................................................89
Fig. 45. Existing and proposed areas at flood risk.....................................................................................................................................................................89
Fig. 46. Madina’s unbalanced growth and development patterns...........................................................................................................................................95
Fig. 47. Dual City: Conflictual pilgrims and residents dynamics................................................................................................................................................97
Fig. 48. Endangered historical and vernacular urban patterns and emerging areas of new development ..........................................................................99
Fig. 49. Areas at flood risk and loss of agticultural lands........................................................................................................................................................101
Fig. 50. The Compact City: Consolidating development by creating and densifying new centres in Madinah...................................................................107
Fig. 51. The Integrated City: Bridging the Madinah and bringing residents and pilgrims together....................................................................................109
Fig. 52. The Historic City: Preserving and enhancing Madinah’s identity...............................................................................................................................111
Fig. 53. The Resilient City: Rebalancing Madinah’s socio-ecological and economic systems.................................................................................................113
Fig. 54. Vision for sustainable Madinah....................................................................................................................................................................................115
Fig. 55. Existing land use............................................................................................................................................................................................................116
Fig. 56. Proposed land use plan by Amanah............................................................................................................................................................................117
Fig. 57. Current population density..........................................................................................................................................................................................118
Fig. 58. Proposed population density.......................................................................................................................................................................................119
Fig. 59. Current job accessibility within the 10-minute walking distance..............................................................................................................................120
Fig. 60. Proposed job accessibility within the 10-minute walking distance...........................................................................................................................121
Fig. 61. Current and proposed job accessibility by metro........................................................................................................................................................122
Fig. 62. Current job accessibility within the 20-minute driving distance................................................................................................................................124
Fig. 63. Proposed job accessibility within the 20-minute driving distance.............................................................................................................................125
Fig. 64. Public transport accessibility analysis for proposed scenario.....................................................................................................................................127
Fig. 65. Strategic recommendations for Madinah....................................................................................................................................................................131
Fig. 66. Action 1: Implement public transport system to create backbone for development...............................................................................................133
Fig. 67. Action 2: Densify along public transport and develop new centralities...................................................................................................................135
Fig. 68. Action 3: Protect, revitalise and integrate historic and vernacular areas .................................................................................................................137
Fig. 69. Action 4: Preserve, enhance, and relink blue and green network.............................................................................................................................139
Fig. 70. The impact of infrastructure development on land value ........................................................................................................................................148
Fig. 71. Key factors in designing betterment levies ................................................................................................................................................................150
Fig. 72. Cost-benefit analysis factors in land-based financing ...............................................................................................................................................150
159
A N NEX
9.3 Notes and References
1 Comprehensive Plan for Madinah, Volume 4, 2011
2 Economic report, Madinah Region 2014 (SAGIA)
3 SAMA Annual Report 2013, Estimates of the Study
4 Intended as the wider Gulf/Middle East region
5 Ports Reports and statistics 2013, Saudi Ports Authority
6 Comprehensive Plan for Madinah, Volume 4, 2011
7 Madinah Comprehensive Plan, 2014, Chapter 16, pg 181
8 MMM Group, Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Planners.2011. Environment Plan, Comprehensive Plan for Madinah
9 Report of Industry in KSA 2013, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
10 Annual Agricultural Statistical Yearbook 2012, Ministry of Agriculture
11 Technical, Financial Statistical Report on Mining Activities for 2012, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
12 Represent the instructions issued by a Minister, his representative or any official of the Ministry to announce new regulations and updates
regarding any intent or action to be undertaken.
13 The planning system in Saudi is not formalized and therefore there is lack of consistency in the naming of plans across the cities. Normally, the
strategic component is labelled as the Comprehensive Plan or Structural Plan. In the context of Madinah, it is referred to as the Comprehensive
Plan. What is commonly referred to as the Local Plan, is called the Directive Plan in Madinah.
14 MMM Group Limited and Moriyama & Teshima Architects, 2011, “Comprehensive Plan for Madinah: Structural Plan”, Volume 5.
15 The period for the preparation of the comprehensive plan was 3 years.
16 Madinah Workshop, April 2018
17 MMM Group Limited and Moriyama & Teshima Architects, 2011, “Comprehensive Plan for Madinah: Structural Plan”, Volume 5
18 Madinah workshop, April 2018.
19 Royal Decree of 1975.
20 See Royal Decree No. (1663) of 1976.
21 See Article 5 of the Law of Regions to Royal Order No. A/92 (1993)
22 This department is supported by the City Planning Department at MoMRA.
23 Baladiyahs are administrative subdivisions
24 NTP goal is to increase own-source revenue to 40% of municipal budgets by 2020.
25 Jadwa Investment (2016). The Saudi Stock Exchange
26 Saudi banking system is supervised by Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), which includes 12 licensed local banks and 12 branches of
licensed foreign banks. Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority http://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Pages/default.aspx
27 The Capital Market Law, formation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and creation of a privately owned stock exchange were
launched with the aim of improving the domestic capital market. Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority. Retrieved from http://www.sama.gov.sa/
en-US/Pages/default.aspx
28 Hentov, E., Kassam, A., Kumar, A., Petrov, A. (2017). Transforming Saudi Arabia’s capital Markets, Strengthening the Financial Triad. State Street
Global Advisors.
29 Deloitte Transaction Services LLC (2013). Saudi mortgage laws: a formula for a well-functioning market? Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited.
Dubai International Finance Centre & Deloitte LLP, United Kingdom.
30 Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (2015).
31 Energy and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (2016).
32 Colliers International. (2012). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia health care overview. Retrieved from http://www.colliers.com/~/media/files/emea/emea/
research/speciality/2012q1-saudi-arabia-healthcare-overview.ashx
33 Ministry of Health. (2015). Health statistical book. Retrieved from https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Statistics/book/Pages/default.aspx
34 Ministry of Health. (2015). Health statistical book. Retrieved from https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Statistics/book/Pages/default.aspx
35 Almalki, M., Fitzgerald, G., & Clark, M. Health care system in Saudi Arabia: an overview. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 17(10),
784-793.
36 Madinah Amanah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2017).
37 The estimation of vacant land in Madinah is approximately 213 square kilometres. UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
160
ANNEX
38 Data from: Madinah Tourism Development Plan, 1425H (2004), Makkah Updated Structural Plan for 1450H (2028), Central Department of
Statistics 1430H (2009), and Car Syndicate, Madinah 1430H (2009)
39 Pilgrims who make the journey without permission. The intercepted pilgrims are generally foreign workers from Muslim countries or visiting
Muslims who have overstayed their Umrah visa (a smaller, non-mandatory trip to Mecca that happens throughout the year) and want to
perform Hajj while they are still in the country. Albawaba (2016, September 12th). Smuggled Into Mecca: How Some Muslims Illegally Perform
Hajj. Retrieved 22.11. 2018 from https://www.albawaba.com/
40 The Al-Haramain train is a 453 kilometres high-speed intercity rail transport system, still partially under construction
41 A New Strategy of Sustainable Neighbourhood Planning: Five principles, UN-Habitat, 2014
42 MMM Group Limited and Moriyama & Teshima Architects, 2011, “Comprehensive Plan for Madinah: Structural Plan”, Volume 10.
43 MMM Group, Moriyama &Theshima Architects and Planners.2011. Environment Plan, Comprehensive Plan for Madinah.
44 MMM Group, Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Planners.2011. Environment Plan, Comprehensive Plan for Madinah.
45 Global Volcano Model, International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior. 2015. Global distribution of volcanism:
Regional and country profiles.
46 UNFCCC Designated Authority in Saudi Arabia.2016. Third National Communication to UNFCCC.
49 Abdalla Elamin, Mustafa Bob, Norhan Rahman, Saud Taher. 2015. Rising Groundwater Levels Problem in Urban Areas: a case study from the
Central Area of Madinah City, Saudi Arabia.
50 A New Strategy of Sustainable Neighbourhood Planning: Five principles, UN-Habitat, 2014
51 These numbers come from the Hajj and Umrah visitor projections developed by the Institute of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Hajj
Research, and were referenced in the Comprehensive Plan
52 Saudi Gazette (2018, July 12th). Four new pedestrian tunnels planned in Madinah. Retrieved 22.11. 2018 from http://saudigazette.com.sa/
article/538818/SAUDI-ARABIA/Four-new-pedestrian-tunnels-planned-in-Madinah
53 Definition from UNDP/UNESCO, Quito Colloquium, 1977
54 D. Godschalk (2003) Urban Hazard Mitigation: Creating Resilient Cities, Natural Hazards Review, Vol. 4, Issue 3
55 Godschalk, D. R. (2003). Urban Hazard Mitigation Creating Resilient Cities. Natural Hazards Review, 4, 136-143.
56 Results of KSA’s Population Census 2004-2010, CDSI.
57 United Nations (2017). New Urban Agenda. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
58 Vision 2030 (2018). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from http://vision2030.gov.sa
59 This instrument has “a long tradition of being implemented in Colombia” with the first implementations going back to the passage of Act 25
in 1921. Medellin was one of the first cities to use this funding instrument. It is estimated that more than 50% of Medellín’s main road grid was
paid by betterment levies. Walters, L. (2016). Leveraging land: land-based finance for local governments. United Nations Human Settlements
Programme. Nairobi, Kenya.
60 According to UN-Habitat accessibility evaluation, the Smart Mass Transport System will be within an area of 10-minute walking distance for
267,794 people (19.3%) in the first phase, for 211,463 people (15.3%) in the second phase, for 223,982 people (16.2%) in the third phase. United
Nations Human Settlements Programme. Nairobi, Kenya.
61 Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2016). In 2016, intergovernmental transfers represented 89% of the municipal budget.
62 General Authority for Statistics, Demographic Survey (2016). The people living in Taif region are 2,080,436 and the number of cars is around
1,487,869.
63 Impact fees force developers to consider more seriously the costs of development. This fee is calculated on the infrastructure cost provision
and charged by developers before to develop the project. This instrument is highly recommended for facing the sprawling generated by
massive investment in real estate sector and development. Carruthers J. I., & Ulfarsson G. F. (2003). Urban sprawl and the cost of public services.
Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 30, 503-522.
64 Between 2009 and 2010, Bogotá, Colombia’s cadastral office began valuing all urban property following the adoption of several administrative
reforms. The valuation revealed an increase in the city’s cadastral value by 47%. The property valuation process cost USD $7.8 million and
generated USD $171 million in property tax revenue for the city. Ruiz, F., & Vallejo, G. (2010). Using land registration as a tool to generate
municipal revenue: lessons from Bogota. World Bank, Washington, DC.
161
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Future Saudi Cities Programme Disclaimer

1-City planning- Madinah ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Future Saudi Cities Programme is a jointly implemented

FUTURE SAUDI CITIES PROGRAMME

1.1 About the Future Saudi Cities Programme....................................................................................................................10

1.2 Saudi Initiatives for Sustainable Urban Development.....................................................................................................10

1.3 Objectives of the City Profile Report..............................................................................................................................10

1.3.1 Scope of the city profile..............................................................................................................................................10

1.3.2 Objectives of the city profile........................................................................................................................................10

1.4.2 The reviews.................................................................................................................................................................13

1.4.3 The City Prosperity Index assessment report.................................................................................................................13

1.4.4 The GIS spatial analysis................................................................................................................................................13

2 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SPATIAL CONTEXT............................................................... 15

2.1 The Region’s Role in the KSA........................................................................................................................................16

2.1.1 Historical background ................................................................................................................................................16

2.1.2 Geography and location..............................................................................................................................................16

2.1.3 Demographic background...........................................................................................................................................16

2.1.4 Socio-economic background.......................................................................................................................................18

2.1.5 National Connectivity..................................................................................................................................................18

2.2 Regional Development Patterns and Dynamics..............................................................................................................20

2.2.1 Regional organisation..................................................................................................................................................20

2.2.2 Regional Structure and Resources................................................................................................................................23

2.3 City-region Structure and Dynamics .............................................................................................................................28

3 GOVERNANCE AND FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK................................................................ 31

3.1 Legal and Institutional Context.....................................................................................................................................32

3.2 Planning Instruments and Procedures...........................................................................................................................34

3.2.1 Hierarchy of plans - Madinah......................................................................................................................................34

3.2.2 The Al Madinah Regional Plan ....................................................................................................................................34

3.2.3 The Madinah Plan.......................................................................................................................................................34

3.2.4 The Madinah Urban Growth and Development Protection Boundaries.........................................................................38

3.2.5 White Lands Act..........................................................................................................................................................39

3.2.6 Land Subdivision Plans................................................................................................................................................42

3.3 The Institutional Context..............................................................................................................................................42

3.3.1 Urban institutions in KSA ...........................................................................................................................................42

3.3.2 Regional context ........................................................................................................................................................42

3.3.3 Local context – Madinah.............................................................................................................................................43

3.3.4 Legal and institutional implications for Madinah..........................................................................................................43

3.4 Financial Context..........................................................................................................................................................44

3.4.1 Financial system .........................................................................................................................................................44

3.4.2 Municipal revenue ......................................................................................................................................................44

3.4.3 Financing municipal operating costs............................................................................................................................45

3.4.4 Capital financing for municipal development...............................................................................................................45

3.4.5 Financial sustainability.................................................................................................................................................48

4 THE CURRENT CITY............................................................................................................ 51

4.1 Urbanisation Patterns...................................................................................................................................................52

4.1.1 The city’s development patterns..................................................................................................................................52

4.1.2 Administrative boundaries...........................................................................................................................................58

4.1.3 Urban density .............................................................................................................................................................60

4.2 Structuring Elements ...................................................................................................................................................62

4.2.1 Natural and topographic elements..............................................................................................................................62

4.2.2 The Prophet’s Mosque and the associated tourist dynamics.........................................................................................64

4.2.3 Major movement infrastructure...................................................................................................................................66

4.2.4 Existing and proposed land use patterns .....................................................................................................................68

4.2.5 Vacant land.................................................................................................................................................................70

4.2.6 Unplanned settlements ..............................................................................................................................................72

4.2.7 Accessibility to urban cores and facilities.....................................................................................................................74

4.3 Assessment of Future Plans..........................................................................................................................................78

4.3.1 The Comprehensive Plan of Al Madinah Metropolitan Area.........................................................................................78

4.3.2 Public Transport Accessibility Analysis..........................................................................................................................80

4.3.3 Urban density scenario ...............................................................................................................................................82

4.4 Environmental and Climate Change Risk Implications....................................................................................................84

4.4.1 Encroachment on natural topography ........................................................................................................................84

4.4.2 Loss of agricultural land..............................................................................................................................................86

4.4.3 Loss of freshwater.......................................................................................................................................................88